Serial Killer
by Raven Young
Summary: She's a Sociopath. She's a Supermodel. She's a serial killer. She's a girl in love. She is Hinata Hyuga. And he is her undoing. [Based loosely on the song by Lana Del Ray]
1. Chapter 1

_Baby I'm a sociopath_

 _A sweet serial killer_

 _On a warpath_

 _Cause I love you just a little too much_

 _~Lana_

* * *

Blood.

Blood everywhere.

On her face

On her hands

On the thin lilac shirt she wore

And more prominently, everywhere around her

Staining the soft blue walls of the hotel room she was in

Spilled over the light brown carpet

And pouring over the sheets of the bed in front of her

It dyed the white bedsheets crimson red

In front of her lay the body of her victim

Insides spilled out as her life's blood flowed from her.

She was long dead.

Her victim's name was Kin Tsuchi. At least, that's what it used to be, she thought with a laugh.

Kin was supposed to be 'his' girlfriend. But yet here she was, in an expensive hotel room having just finished her night with another man. And that's where she, the huntress, found her prey.

"You hurt him." She said, sliding the tip of her knife over her victim's cold, lifeless cheek.

'Him' of course being the object of her desires- her obsession, her fulfilment, her everything.

"You cheated on him- with scum." She spat her words.

She was Hinata Hyuga. Supermodel. Idol. A smiling goddess to the rest of the world.

"And once he finds out, it will hurt him so much. "

But this side of her easy invisible. It stayed between her and her victims.

" So I hurt you." And with a smile, she took pleasure in desecrating the dead face.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto**

* * *

 _Wish I may_  
 _Wish I might_  
 _Find my one true love tonight_  
 _Do you think that it could be you?_  
 _~Lana_

* * *

 _ **20 Days ago**_

A slap resounded throughout the room.

"You call yourself a supermodel? What a joke! You can't even pose for a shooting without looking like an overgrown pig! And without our stylists you'd look worse than a slut! Weeks of working for this project and this is the 'thanks' we get?! You pose like you're a robot! Where's the feel? The seduction? The appeal? You're late for work, you're so quiet you're invisible and when you do come the state of your face says it would have been better if you didn't bother waking up in the morning! 20 years in the business and I've never seen a more unprofessional work ethic."

The old woman paused as another slap a echoed throughout the room, followed by stifled sobs. "And now? Snivelling and shaking like the brat you are! We have a word for people like you in the fashion world. 'Pathetic'. Now get the hell out of here! You have 5 minutes to come back with a clear head! Get lost!"

Naruto watched from the far end of the room as the manager slapped her model, who was shaking uncontrollably. He hadn't meant to overhear the scene, but it just so happened that he was on his break and had gone to watch Sasuke's photo session.

It just so happened that he watched the manager drive his model to the brink of a neurotic breakdown.

But being the person he was, he chose to follow her out of the room anyway.

She had ran out onto the roof. At least that was where the sound of her echoing footsteps had led him.

It was dark outside. The sun had almost set in the far west, only its dying embers kindling a soft glow along the skyline.

The roof appeared empty , as he looked around searching for her- he didn't even know her name yet, but he'd be damned if he didn't try to help someone who looked so...broken, being driven near catatonic after being accused of half a dozen things which probably weren't even true.

He was interrupted by a glaringly loud ringtone from the mobile in his pocket. Fishing it out of his pocket he looked at the caller id- cursed a little at the bad timing of the call, and answered it begrudgingly.

"What do you want now, Kin?"

"Now now, that's no way to talk to your girlfriend is it?" was her snarky reply.

"This really isn't a good time- I'm a little busy?"

"Baby, what could be more important than li'l ol' me? Don't tell me...another one of your charity projects?" Her voice was sugar coated and sweet.

"Kind of...yes. I'll call you later."

"What? But I was going to-"

Naruto saw the other girl hunched over the railing of the roof. She was shaking, breathing rapidly and muttering something under her breath as she braced herself against the railing.

"I promise we'll talk later. I'll take you out on a date or something. Anything you want. Bye." He hung up and ran over to the girl.

It definitely looked like she was going to jump- not that he would let that happen. For starters, it would be such a waste of natural born talent. And he couldn't help but notice how beautifully her dark hair cascaded down her back, and how her electric blue strapless gown hugged and caressed her every curve.

She was mumbling incoherently as she shook, her arms slowly pushing her up as she brought a foot on the railing. She began to raise her other foot and stand on the railing, looking down at the bustling street 30 feet below her.

And as it looked like she was about to step off the roof, he lunged towards her.

* * *

'We have a name for people like you in our industry'

It wasn't true. None of it was true.

'Pathetic.'

She was not. Nobody tried as hard as her.

Nobody spent as many sleepless nights on a deserted roof atop her apartment, perfecting her walk until her feet were raw.

'Weak'

Lies.

Nobody ate as little and exercised as hard as her to keep a perfectly toned body without an ounce of error.

'Unprofessional'

She never missed a single photo session, show practice or marketing meeting. Nobody kept their health as rigorously well as her so she never had an excuse for absence. Nobody pushed themselves to leave their house with a 104 degree temperature without letting a single sign of illness show from the second she leaves the house till the time she retires at the day's end.

'A brat'

She sacrificed everything for her career. Forced herself to sweet talk herself into the good books of every producer and director in the business. Practically filled her social circles with upper circles with friends who she couldn't even stand the thought of being associated with. She hadn't talked to anyone for her family in months- with the exception of one cousin with whom her only relation was that they stayed under the same roof. She didn't have a life or a personality she could really call her own- she was living under the identity of the 'smiling godess' who everybody portrayed her as.

' A joke'

This life was the real joke.

'Get lost'

Why was it that no matter how much she tried, it was never good enough? Always at the top, always aiming for the best. Why was it never sufficient?! What more did they want from her?

She hadn't had a proper night's sleep in weeks. She couldn't sleep. It haunted her even in her slumber. It would follow her to the darkest corners of her subconscious, would engulf and burn whatever solace she tried to find.

The drugs didn't work any more. Nor did hurting things. No way to escape the paranoia, the stress, and of course the fear.

Hot tears mixed with mascara and eyeliner dripped onto her hands as they gripped the railing bar in front of her even tighter.

They would only leave her in death. They couldn't follow her there.

If that was the case then...

Her body moved on its own as she stared down into the endless race of car after car, thousands of people walking on the streets below. All so small. All so insignificant. All so sickening.

She blinked. The scene below her changed. Dead bodies bloodily scattered, heads lying disembodied, the smell of burning flesh. Cars slowly suffocating their inhabitants.

And her body among the masses. Blood spattered over the shoulder blades of her bare back, soaking her dark hair as it pooled around her shoulder. Her head turned at a sharp angle, leaving a single hauntingly silvery eye staring up at the skies above, daring the heavens to reject her death.

Now, there would be one less person to walk the earth.

She closed her eyes and took the plunge.

But she never fell.

Warm, sturdy hands circled round her waist, gently pulling her down and holding her against a warm, strong, masculine body.

"If you want to die..."

A low husky voice breathed against her ears.

"Do it when you're happy. Do it when you're loved. When you're old and at peace with yourself, and the world. Do it when you're surrounded by the people that you love, and you're ready to move on. But don't do it here. Don't give up on yourself yet."

As he held onto her, she took a long, shaky breath.

Then she turned around to see the face of her saviour.

Her saviour. Her knight. Her perfection. Her undoing.

And that was when she truly fell.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

* * *

 _If I pray_

 _Really tight_

 _Get into a fake bar fight_

 _While I'm walking down the avenue_

 _~Lana_

* * *

 _ **14 days ago**_

* * *

Naruto Uzumaki

She mused in her head as she walked slowly through her newly acquired property.

Na-ru-to U-zu-ma-ki

She liked how the name sounded in her head.

Naru-to

The floorboards were cold and smooth under her bare feet.

Na-ruto

It was a fully furnished flat. Didn't take much to buy. Not that she would be moving there permanently.

Naruto

She walked around the leather sofa, her fingers lightly trailing over its edge, moving towards the transparent sliding doors that led to the balcony.

 _Naruto_

Swathed in a soft, deep indigo dress, she padded gracefully onto the balcony, leaning slightly against the railing, looking down through the ceiling length windows of an apartment in the building across from her.

" _Naruto_ "

Her voice was a soft, gentle whisper.

His name was Naruto.

She loved the way it rolled off her tongue.

"Age 24."

Only a year older than her.

"Height-6ft 2."

Perfect to compliment her own 5 ft 11.

"Blonde hair and sapphire blue eyes."

She knew these details by heart by now.

"A actor starring in the popular televised serialisation, _A Slice of Life."_

He had starred in a few fairly popular films before that.

Her voice never rose above a whisper.

"Orphaned at birth. Adopted by the Haruno family."

He had been hurt before. But nobody would ever hurt him again.

" One living godfather."

It was dark outside. A new moon night, the stars were breathtakingly clear overhead. He was far more breathtaking.

"Best friends with Sasuke Uchiha, a model at the same agency."

She had worked with said model a few times before- he was moody and brooding. But not nearly as sickening as others she had worked with. And of course, he had good taste in friends if he was familiar with Naruto.

"One girlfriend, namely Kin Tsuchi."

She frowned, a slight crease gracing her delicate features. That witch didn't deserve him.

"A boisterous personality with an innate kindness towards those in need."

Of course he was kind. He even helped her- and he didn't even know her at that point.

"A thirst to prove himself and his ability."

He was determined. She admired him for it.

"Compassionate without a doubt."

He was compassionate about everything. She was compassionate about him.

"Lives alone, in a small but stately apartment."

Which was why she felt it necessary to buy herself a new property.

"Has one pet fox by the name of Kurama."

His kindness even extended to the most cunning of animals. It was strangely ironic.

"A tattoo of the same inked on his back."

How did she know so much? It had taken a few days, but her sources helped her draw up everything she could know about him.

"He got the tattoo courtesy of another of his friends, Sai."

Sai was another orphan who he had befriended.

"Loves to eat ramen. Favourite food stop- Ichiraku's Ramen."

She didn't know how to make ramen- but she could learn.

"Favourite colour orange."

Harmless, cheerful and good willed.

Her breath quickened as she saw him come into sight at the window of the apartment several floors below in the building across from hers.

His regal features looking down at the street in front of him.

If he trained his gaze upwards their eyes would have met.

To most people he'd look like your average harmless cheery dumb actor.

"But it is a façade."

Her breath was breathy and soft.

She knew it was a façade.

He was much smarter. Much stronger.

And he would be hers.

" _Naruto Uzumaki."_

She closed her eyes, revelling in the sound of his name.

It was like a prayer.

* * *

He would be coming soon.

He was supposed to meet his friends there. At the bar. For a fun night out.

She had overheard him talking to his adoptive sister about it.

She wasn't invited. But he wouldn't have to know she had followed him. She was merely there to observe.

And so quite naturally, she was at the designated bar half an hour before their rendezvous .

So in skin tight black jeans and a form fitting velvety green off the shoulder top, Hinata sat at the bar counter, swirling the glass in her hands and watching the dregs of the Martini she had just entitled herself to.

She kept a watchful look out, of the corner of her eye, waiting for _him_ to arrive with his friends.

He would probably be with his girlfriend, but if that was what made him happy, then she was okay with it.

For the time being, at least.

She knew well enough to expect people to come up to her and try to flirt with her,with sweet seductive nuances, she was practically begging for it, sitting alone as she was in a bar at night. But she didn't want it. They shouldn't try to come up to her- leave her to her own devices,that was far safer. For them as much as her. She was there for him, and him alone.

But though she was patiently waiting until she could see him, the cocky prick sitting next to her,and the bartender who had kept trying to bring her more drinks, were both getting rather annoying. They didn't seem to get that she was 'not interested' in their advances, nor did she want them trying to court her. Either they didn't understand it, or they didn't care.

But she did.

She felt their eyes on her.

Their gaze seeping through her skin, sinking into her bones.

Their eyes filled with lust. Their thoughts sinful.

They were _looking_ at her.

But they weren't supposed to.

Only _he_ could look at her. She was for his eyes alone.

None of them deserved to lay eyes on what was his.

A voice smooth and coated in syrup breathed in her ear while she felt a rough meaty hand fall on her shoulder. She bristled at the contact which enveloped her back.

"Why don't you finally say 'yes' so we can get outta here?"

The man was so drunk his voice slurred.

In front of her, a bartender eyed her greedily as he stopped his task of cleaning more glasses to stand in front of her, preventing escape.

She cringed.

They were disgusting.

And they were touching her.

Their hands filled with filth and ill intent on her shoulder.

Irrespective of how much or little the contact may have been.

Only one person could touch her with that intent. _Him_.

And _they_ were not him.

She crushed the empty glass in her hand against the table, it breaking into multiple shards with a sickening crunch. She had enough experience with the broken glass not to injure herself. The same could not be said for the bartender, who cursed upon seeing her actions, accusingly shouting, "What the fuck do you think you're doing?!" while the man behind her cursed surprisedly, his hand still on her shoulder as though not fully comprehending what was going on while another hand lowered to,her hips and the region below.

She didn't say anything, as she swept parts of the glass onto the floor in one swift movement, her hand closing over a particularly jagged piece turning around and driving the glass into her harasser's hand while a sadistic smile graced her pale visage. So fast that they did not understand what was happening until the man cried in pain from the blood flowing from his palm, and the other cursed as he felt glass pierce his feet.

Remorseless, she moved out of the man's reach and strode gracefully out of the bar, never once missing a step.

* * *

"Stupid bitch! You'll pay for that!"

A bloody hand reached out and clamped her shoulder, roughly turning her around and pushing her harshly to the ground.

Her purse skidded several feet away as her back hit the pavement beneath her.

It was dark outside. Not late enough for large crowds to walk the streets. But not early enough for respectable people to stop and watch the scene unfolding.

A few cars whizzed past, but none noticed as the man with a bleeding hand straddled her waist, yanking her raven hair sharply out of her face and striking her face with a bloody hand, a manic look in his eyes.

A second man stood, looking over his shoulder at her, an equally hungry look in his eyes.

Her breath hitched and pulse quickened in response, fear starting to take root in her blood.

She looked into those malicious eyes, her face stinging from where those meaty hands had struck her, and shook with repulsion. She writhed and convulsed against the hands and limbs which bound her.

Her captor only seemed to find further excitement from this. His hips grinded against hers as his face inched closer, and she cried out as his grip tightened.

Her attempts to shake of their violations futile, she cried out in disgust as those meaty hands roamed harshly over her body.

Her body screamed at the foreign touch as her eyes closed in disgust, bile rising to her throat as she felt those hands- hands which were not _his_ \- explore her in ways only _he_ could explore. Her pupils dilated as her limbs numbed as she relalised the inevitable violation.

Just as she could think of nothing more to do in order to resist, she felt the weight above her being lifted up as her arms were liberated, and her assailant was thrown unceremoniously against a wall with a sickening crack.

She heard an angry yell followed by a grunt as her other harasser fell in a crumpled heap.

Opening her eyes gently she looked up into the face of her saviour.

A chiselled face akin to a Greek sculpture, spiky blonde locks that begged for a hand to reach out and ruffle them, and sapphire blue eyes clear as crystal and expressive as art.

Her saviour. Her knight. Her obsession. One and the same.

 _Naruto_.

"Are you alright?" His low, husky voice asked, holding out a hand to help her up.

As she looked up and fit her pale white hand in his tanned one, moving her hair out of his face, his eyes flickers with recognition as he said, "Hey! You're-" he paused, suddenly realising that he did not know her name.

"Hinata." She supplied softly, still reeling from the fact that things had played out far better than she had originally thought they might. And certainly they had worked out better than how they were looking a couple of minutes ago.

He knew who she was now. He had saved her. _Again_. And here they were, on the pavement of an avenue lined with trees and warm yellow streetlights, acquainting themselves officially for the first time. Of course, she knew far more about him than he would ever know.

"We really need to stop meeting this way, huh?" He said with a condescending smile. "I'm Naruto, by he way. Naruto Uzumaki. Nice to meet you, Hinata."

She smiled shyly in reply. "The pleasure's all mine, Naruto."

And they parted ways- he rejoined his friends inside the bar, while she walked down the lone avenue, a smile on her face and a spring in her stride.

* * *

 **Hello there! This story received a really good response and I thank you readers so much for that! Thanks to everyone who followed, favourited and reviewed! And thanks to the shadow readers who haven't said anything but are reading nonetheless.**

 **Your compliments and criticism really fuel my writing so please tell me what you think I'm the reviews.**

 **Hinata is Ooc in this story but there's nothing I can do about it- it's imperative to the story.**

 **I hope you enjoy and continue to stick with me.**

 **Stay tuned for more!**

 **~Raven**


	4. Chapter 4

_If I lay  
_

 _Really quiet_

 _I know what I do isn't right_

 _I can't stop what I love to do._

 _~Lana_

* * *

 _Snap_.

The model shifted, adjusting her pose for the next frame.

 _Snap_.

The sound of the photographer at work was the only thing echoing throughout the studio.

 _Snap_.

The model lay over an array of cushions and black velvet drapery.

 _Snap_.

Her deep burgundy dress spread out, her dark hair cascading over the velvet, her pale, delicate hand fisted in the dark drapery, her chin angled to tilt seductively upwards, towards the photographer, her plush painted lips slightly parted, and her smokily lined silvery eyes staring entrancingly at the camera.

 _Snap_.

The theme for the day's photo shoot was 'guilty pleasures'.

 _Snap_.

But it didn't really matter what the theme was.

 _Snap_

She was perfection.

Her gaze wandered, no longer fixated on the camera, as it trailed to the corner of the room.

Anyone would think she was simply enacting a 'faraway look' to put before the camera.

But she was sharply aware of the fact that her photo shoot had visitors.

Very much wanted visitors.

Her modelling partner had been Sasuke Uchiha- she had already shot several frames with him, and now they were focusing on her solo shots.

But what drew _her_ attention was the man who was with him.

Blonde hair, tanned skin, and sapphire blue eyes.

It was _him_.

And she was suddenly very happy to have the brooding Uchiha as her modelling partner for this shoot- because it meant that he had come to watch her. Maybe he had only come with the intent to meet his friend, but the end result was the same.

She found, with sickening pleasure, that his gaze was set intently on her, as though he were unable to look anywhere else, and as she brought her eyes to meet his, she trapped him in her gaze, looking intently into his brilliant sapphire orbs.

The minimal contact made her heart race.

If she was perfection, then he was a God.

And if she was extra careful, and trained her ear to hear only one voice, she could hear what they were talking about over the sound of camera shutters snapping.

So she lay there, quietly listening to,the soft echoes and muffled whispers.

"Kin wanted me to pick her up from the studio. We were gonna grab lunch after I pick her up from her studio at 12. Tell Sakura I won't be able to make it."

"Hn."

Sakura was the daughter of the family Naruto was adopted into, so by extension, she was his sister. Not someone to get in her way- Hinata was fine with the abnormally pink hair. But her chest clenched painfully at the mention of his lover's name.

At least she knew where he would be.

She shifted her position again, so that her back was arched gracefully and she lay on her flat stomach, her head tilted over her shoulder looking at the camera.

"Sakura's birthday is coming up soon." She heard Naruto say.

"If 2 months counts as soon, then yes."

"Well, what do you want to do for her? I think we should have a massive surprise party!"

"Idiot, don't shout! We're having a photo shoot here!"

"Hey Sasuke, do you know that model? I mean, really know her?" He asked, quickly changing the topic.

Her heart sped up at the mention of her. She shifted her position again, propping her head up seductively on one hand, bringing her knees closed to her chest,letting the burgundy dress slide up and showing off her long creamy legs.

"Not personally. I've worked with her on a few occasions before."

"But she seems better at this than you! She's a natural. And really pretty too. I guess they're called Supermodels for a reason."

As she shifted into her next position, she couldn't stop the bright smile which his comments brought from gracing her delicate features.

* * *

"Baby! Where have you been! I was waiting for ages. "The black haired woman crossed the space between them in seconds, and caught his lips in a chaste kiss.

Naruto leaned back, his hands on his girlfriend's waist. "Sorry Kin. I came as soon as I could." he said with an apologetic smile.

The girl leaned back, a carefully manicured hand on her short black halter neck dress, an expensive handbag clutched tightly in her other hand. She put on a slightly annoyed smile, and said, "Never mind, you're here now. So where did you want to eat?" They started walking side by side.

" I was thinking of...I dunno, maybe we could grab some Ramen?"

She stopped in her tracks, turning to glare at Naruto. " I don't believe you!"

"What did I do wrong?" Naruto asked innocently.

"Ramen? Again? It's always Ramen with you! I'm a dancer. Dancers sure as hell do not stuff themselves with Ramen! You never take me anywhere more tasteful!" she shrieked. _Or expensive._ The words, though unspoken, could easily be deciphered from her tone.

"I..I'm sorry" Naruto said.

The other woman glared at his apologetic expression, before softening a little and pulling him closer to him. "I suppose we could go to that Italian place..." she said placing a chaste kiss on his lips.

They were interrupted by an abrupt shrill ringing from her handbag. Pulling away from Naruto, the dark haired woman pulled the mobile out of her bag and answered it. She frowned in a small flash of surprise when she saw the caller identification, before listening intently for a few minutes.

Finally hanging up with a small "oh", she turned to Naruto, saying, "I'm sorry Honey, I've gotta go check up on this. I'll call you later Babe!". She kissed him again before walking off, leaving a confused Naruto standing there with a look similar to an injured puppy.

Her eyes fluttered open as she lay leaning against the wall, her back pressing against the cold, rough surface, while she listened to the conversation that had unfolded. Hinata wanted nothing more than to go up to Naruto and console him. But she was content to follow Kin for now.

* * *

"Kin."

A dark haired man walked up to the dancer, standing in the deserted courtyard, embracing her and pulling her into a fierce kiss.

Pulling away, the woman smiled, breathless, saying, "Why did you call me now? It could have looked suspicious."

"That's not really important- thing is, Suigetsu knows." the other man said, in a low, gravelly voice.

"Know what?" she asked, surprised, and slightly panicky, her hands resting on the other man's chest.

"About this. Us." he said, pushing her hair off her shoulder and bending down to kiss her neck slowly.

"But will he tell?" she asked, moaning slightly at his ministrations.

"I don't know," he said between breaths. "Do something about it."

She paused as her nails grazed over his shoulder. "Tonight. I'll sort something out tonight."

He moved to kiss her jawline. "Are you free now? I have a break."

The black haired woman moved her head to catch his lips in her own again. "Lets take this inside." she said with a sinful smile.

Hinata had watched the whole scene unfold in front of her as she watched from her vantage point on a floor above, looking down at the now empty courtyard. Her heart clenched malevolently as she burned with rage. That _bitch_ had _cheated_ on her Naruto. She couldn't even begin to describe the anger that bubbled within her. She wanted blood. Specific blood. Naruto- so kind, and honest, and handsome, and smart, and perfect. And she chose to _betray_ him?! Not under her watch. She would eliminate anyone who hurt her Naruto.

* * *

A vase flew across the room, shattering against the wall.

Another glass item followed-this time a glass figurine, a small elephant.

Leaning against the wall opposing the pile of cracked glass, sitting with her knees hugged to her chest, Hinata sat in a simple lavender nightgown.

The wall she was leaning on was plastered with photographs.

Most featuring a blonde haired blue eyed actor.

The pile of shattered glass next to the opposing wall was steadily increasing, as she flung more and more pieces against the wall, sometimes screaming, sometimes sobbing, sometimes shaking uncontrollably.

It was dark outside. Probably at some point in time past midnight.

The glass shattering was a vent for her frustration. Inability to be able to do anything. Self harm wasn't an option for a model like her- nor was anything that might harm her physically. She was reduced to flinging scraps of glass across an empty room.

A loud cry resounded through the room- the strangulated sound of a small animal who had been caught in the glass.

Peering around, she saw a small squirrel, one which must have surely crept in through the open window, and was now sitting in the middle of the pile of glass shards.

Slowly getting to her feet, Hinata moved towards the frightened animal. The poor thing must be so out of place, frightened for its life in a sea of glass.

She knelt down, picking up a large shard of glass sharpened at one end, which obstructed its path.

And then, with one sweeping movement, she brought the glass harshly down onto the squirrel, plunging the glass into its back.

Blood flowed from the wound, spilling over the crystal glass, and collecting in deep pools on the floor. The animal's eyes lay still and unblinking, frozen in an expression of fear and pain. She brought a hand to its eyes and closed the eyelids, giving it the peaceful appearance of having been sleeping.

Standing, she decided that she had had enough of the glass. It wasn't working. Couldn't extinguish the anguish and anger burning like a fire in her chest. Nor could it throw off the fatigue that threatened to set into her limbs.

It was time for _that_.

She left the room, walking to the bathroom and washing her hands of the scarlet blood that stained them in places.

Her fellow house occupant and assigned guardian wasn't at home. She could easily access her stash then.

Opening one of the bathroom closets, she reached into a small box, padlocked by a key she did not possess. That didn't stop her from taking out a razor and cutting the box open, pulling out a small packet, no bigger than a candy wrapper, filled with a powdery white substance. Replacing the box after stuffing a few more packets in her bag, she returned to the basin, cutting open the small packet in her hand.

She brought the packet containing the light, fluffy white powder, to her nose and inhaled sharply, allowing the powder to enter her lungs.

The effect was instantaneous as she felt her pupils dilate. The tension and worry that had been sitting on her shoulders had all but disappeared. Her mind whirred as she thought about all the things she wanted to do- she wasn't tired any more. She wanted to practice her catwalk on the roof. She wanted to draw something on the blank white canvas that had been sitting in her room. She wanted to use the glass from earlier to watch blood spill from a wounded body yet again. Only this time, it wouldn't be a squirrel.

Suddenly, she wanted to see _him._

 _"Naruto..."_ She said lightly.

She took out another packet, opening it up and taking a few heavy sniffs for good measure.

"Naruto...Naruto...Naruto.." She chanted, while walking out again, skipping slightly as she walked into her room. It was going to be a long night.

"Naruto...Naruto.." her gaze fell upon the large photograph of him which hung in the middle of her wall- one which she had had made after she met him.

Her breath hitched as she took in how beautiful it was. Surreal. She was spellbound.

* * *

Several hours later, Neji found himself coming home to find Hinata draped over a large sofa, not asleep, but not fully conscious either.

Walking up to her, he took note of the slightly dazed look in her eyes, and the blood that now dripped from her nose as she dabbed a handkerchief to it.

She had been on cocaine again.

He knew it.

Not that he appreciated it.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

She looked up at him, finally noticing his arrival. "Hello..." she said lightly, moving to sit up properly and make some space for him to sit down.

"Are you okay?" he repeated, sitting down and putting a hand on her shoulder.

She didn't flinch at his touch- unlike others. She trusted him.

"Yeah...at least I am now." she said, having come out of her drug induced high.

He sighed as he watched her shiver slightly. It was to be expected, considering it was the middle of the winter, and she wore nothing more than a simple nightdress.

"Come on." he said, standing her up, "Let's put you to sleep."

"Hmm.." she said, already dozing off.

He sighed. "You know, you're going to get yourself killed doing stuff like that." he said, looking at the drug packets stuffed in her bag, and making a mental note to get rid of them when she was asleep.

He was her cousin, not that he had been particularly close to her in her childhood. Once she had fallen out with her family like he had, however, he had been there for her. As though she was his sister. Times like that, when he saw her in that condition, he worried. Worried for her health, and for her sanity.

"I know..." she said quietly, diverting his attention from his stream of thought, "..but I can't help it. I love it."

She sat down on her bed, slowly curling into a fetal position. Neji pulled the white blanket over her, when he heard her add, "I love him too. I love him even more. Maybe even too much."

* * *

 **Another chapter bites the dust! I might not be able to update next week...a, quite busy. But I hope you like this! Thanks for all of the support and positive response. I hope I don't disappoint you guys.**

 **I've never taken cocaine before but I do know about the process in general- so I hope what I described wasn't too inaccurate.**

 **In case anyone's wondering I wrote this song while listening to Medicine and Happy little pill. Anyone heard them?**

 **In reply to the detailed guest review: Thanks so much for all of you commenta, critique, compliments and advice. It really helps. I keep thinking about Mirai Nikki while I write this too! And I'm so glad there's someone other than myself who's heard Take a Hint! I completely agree with what you said about having to keep the character consistent and only having a well planed out character development if any. As for the experience with glass, I agree that I should go back and fix it. I'll edit that chapter when I get time and thanks for pointing it out. On another note, with respect to her victims, I have a lot more planned. But irrespective of how morally right or wrong the victims are, I plan to write I'm such a way that the readers will empathise with Hinata. Hope I can live up to that standard! But really, thanks for all of your comments.**

 **As to the rest of your readers, I thrive off your feedback! So don't forget to drop a review!**

 **~Raven**


	5. Chapter 5

_So I murder love_

 _In the night_

 _Watching them fall one by one they fight_

 _Do you think that you'll love me too?_

 _~Lana_

* * *

He hadn't expected a late night visitor.

But looking back on things, he should have known.

Suigetsu was visited by not one, but two people that night.

Both at different times- the two visits far apart in their occurrence.

The evening sun hung lazily, its sphere barely skimming the tops of the buildings in the horizon, their edges blurring together like a mirage.

He had gotten as far as changing out of his occupational uniform into more comfortable clothes and had sat down with a light doze of alcohol in his hand when he heard the sharp knock on his front door.

Slightly irritated at the unwelcome interruption, he contemplated ignoring it before letting curiosity get the better of him as he moved to answer the offending door.

Suigetsu did not live in a large apartment building. He far preferred small, comfortable detached houses- ones on the outskirts of the city, where he could make all the noise in the world and cause as much damage to property as required without any complaints or legal warnings.

But very few actually visited him so far away in the secluded corners of the city.

Hence surprise was evident when he was greeted by the dark haired, tan skinned woman that was Kin Tsuchi, standing on the threshold of his property, a small smirk on her face as she looked up at him with shrewdly calculating eyes.

That being said, he should have been expecting it with all things considered. After what he had witnessed earlier that day, it was quite obvious that they would come seeking him out. After all, she was a popular dancer, known to be dating a not so unfamiliar actor, whom he had happened to see intimately involved with another man. She was by all probability there to silence whatever scandal might ensue should anyone else find out about what he saw.

Naruto was a friend of his, or at least, was a friend of Sasuke's. And Sasuke was a friend of his. So Suigetsu wasn't exactly thrilled with the idea of keeping something like that quiet. Not that he had been planning on leaving it unexposed.

"Kin." he greeted resignedly, looking at her. He had met her on a few occasions before. They got along fairly well. Her company wasn't exactly unwanted, assuming he didn't mind putting up with an annoying woman for a couple of hours. But at this point, all he had really wanted to do was rest.

"Suigetsu," she said in response, "I'll only take a few minutes. Mind letting me in?" she said with a sweet smile.

As if he had a choice. "No, not at all. Come in." he said, stepping aside to let her enter the room.

She may not have been breathtakingly beautiful as some people were, but Kin did have her own extent of womanly charm. Not Suigetsu's personal type, but definitely easy on the eyes. His eyes followed her form as she strutted inside his living space.

Waiting till he closed the door and followed her inside, Kin moved to the windows and drew the blinds before moving to stand in front of him, not an arm's length away, their eyes locking as she surveyed him, like a big cat advancing towards its prey.

"Was there something you wanted?" He asked, breaking away from the intense stare she sent his way.

"Are you going to tell him?" she asked, her eyes piercing and probing him as though searching for every possible secret he possessed.

He froze. He knew what she was talking about. But at this point he wished he could stay out of whatever twisted relationships she was involved in. "Tell him what?" he asked, playing dumb.

"You know what I'm talking about, Suigetsu." she said, moving closer to him, her hips swaying in an attempt at seduction.

"Do I?"

"I know you do." she drawled, moving closer still until she stood inches away from him, her hands coming up to rest on his chest.

"What are you trying to say?" he asked, wishing she would stop mincing her words and get to the point.

She leaned even closer, until she stood on her toes, her lips brushing unevenly against his ear as she said, "If you decide you're going to tell him, I can have you silenced. I can make them hurt you. At least until you can't say anything against me. And they will _never_ be able to trace it back to me."

Her chilly hiss brought shivers down his spine. He looked down on the scene in front of him in amusement. There she was, weak enough to be brought down with a single blow, yet commanding enough to have _him_ rooted to the spot. He could choose not to listen to her. But at least, he could wait until he had finished what she had to say.

She moved away from his ear and brought her forehead to rest against his as her hands clasped behind his neck. "But if you don't say anything about what you saw..." she leaned forward seductively and caught his lips in her own, slowly deepening the kiss as she pressed his head closer to hers. His body acting on its own, he brought his hands to her hips and pulled her closer, letting her seduce him as she wanted to.

Drawing away only when out of breath, she whispered, "I can give you _far_ more than just that." she said slyly, before pulling away and running a hand through her hair to smooth it out.

Morals be damned, he wasn't going to involve himself in whatever trouble would ensue when people found out about Kin's affair. She seemed to see this realisation as she looked at him once more, nodding approvingly before turning around and picking up her handbag.

Walking swiftly, she turned back once more when at the door, and left with a final call of "I'll be back soon."

* * *

"That went better than expected."

The hotel room was dark. His masculine voice filled the space between them.

"He was quite compliant really."

Kin set down the bag she was carrying by the door. Her hands moving to the buttons at the top of her shirt, she started fiddling with the first one.

"Are you sure he won't tell?"

The man in front of her stood and walked to meet her halfway between the door and the bed.

"Positive, babe." she said, pushing the man backwards onto the bed.

Straddling his hips as she pushed him onto the mattress, she looked at him with eyes clouded over in lust. "I'm here all night,"

The sun had only just hidden itself beyond the horizon. The night had only just begun, with daylight's fading embers soaking the sky in twilight.

His hands reached out to pull her onto him as he kissed her harshly with a sly smile. "Then lets get started."

* * *

Kin woke to darkness.

Cocooned in silky sheets pressed against her bare skin, her hair spread around her head in a messy halo.

She was alone. He must have left already. The thought disappointed her slightly, but not enough to upset her altogether.

She twisted around to get a glimpse of the ticking clock on the wall.

It was little after midnight. She had been asleep for two hours. None of his things were in the room. He hadn't even left a note.

The room was so silent she could hear the clock hands ticking.

Slipping out of the warm sheets, she stood up, her limbs aching slightly.

Checking her phone which lay on her nightstand, she realised that she had four missed calls. All from Naruto.

She sighed upon seeing his name. Sure, Naruto was attractive, and nice, and sweet, and he had been a very good boyfriend to her for all the time they had dated. But she was growing bored of him. She had never loved him. Not to say that she loved the man she had just slept with either. What she loved was the thrill of keeping it secret, trying not to get caught or found out, and the forbidden element of what she was doing.

Call her a slut? She called it self pleasure.

And it didn't hurt that the guy was practically loaded. He was an idiot, but there wasn't anything he didn't buy her if she asked. She could put up with Naruto and his attitude, even if it bored her to no end, with added perks like the massive fortune his parents had left him before they died. God knows why he didn't use that money for himself, but she would sure use it as much as she could- she'd bleed it dry if given the chance.

But everything aside, she wasn't about to stop her secret affair any time soon.

She walked into the cold tiled bathroom, stopping to look at her reflection in the mirror.

Her hair was a mess and her makeup smeared. Small crescent shaped marks trailed down the tanned skin of her neck.

Twisting the cold metal faucets in front of her, the sound of running water filled the room.

The only other sound to pierce the eerie silence was the slow ticking of the clock in the adjoining room.

She washed the makeup off her face as well as she could and screwed the faucets shut. The sound of the water gurgling down the drain slowly receded and she was left with the lone ticking of the clock.

She looked at her reflection again, staring into her eyes.

And that's when she heard it.

The slow creaking of a door being opened. Light muffled footsteps. Someone had entered the room.

Had he come back? He must have. Nobody else would know she was there- nobody else was allowed to enter the room.

Slipping into a silky bathrobe, she rushed back into the bedroom, looking expectantly at the door to the room.

She felt her small smile slipping away as she registered that there was nobody inside the room.

The door was closed.

But she had heard footsteps, hadn't she?

She turned to survey the dark room. The only figure she could make out was herself.

Unnerved, she closed her eyes to listen for another presence.

Yet she could only hear her own shallow breaths. And the ticking of the timepiece on the wall. And the sound of water running from open faucets.

Wait- running water? But hadn't she turned them off?

She walked back into the bathroom- both taps were open, water slowly filling the smooth white basin. She must have forgotten to close them.

Shaking her head, she twisted them closed. The need for sleep must have hazed over her thoughts.

A sharp, metallic scraping reached her ears accompanied by more muffled footsteps.

She snapped around, walking hesitantly back into the main room.

Feeling her throat suddenly dry, staying near the bathroom door, she looked around, and found herself becoming more and more agitated as she realised there was nobody else in the room.

"Who?" the question died on her tongue as her voice came out rasp and indiscernible.

Swallowing the lump in her throat she brought herself to ask, "Is anyone there?"

Her voice was still weak, scared, and small.

She was answered by the slow ticking of the clock on the wall.

Walking into the center of the room, still looking for the source of the noise, her nerves on end, she came to a stop at the foot of the bed.

Letting her eyes sweep over the entire room once more, she found nobody inside.

Kin closed her eyes once, taking a deep shaky breath to quell the anxiety that threatened to take over her. She should call someone.

That's right.

She should call someone.

Somebody was sure to answer.

She opened her eyes and her heart stopped in its tracks.

In that split second, she saw everything in astonishing clarity.

The person who had suddenly appeared in front of her.

The sharp glistening knife in their hand.

The scream that would have ripped her throat never had a chance to become audible.

That knife slit her throat as though it were paper.

More blood followed as her body fell back on the bed behind her, and the knife sliced through the rest of her torso.

The last thing she ever saw was a face.

Hauntingly beautiful and illuminated by a ray of moonlight streaming through a gap in the closed curtains.

High cheekbones, ivory skin, and dark thick lashes which bordered doe like eyes. Eyes filled with expression. Loathing. Excitement. Satisfaction. Love?

A long curtain of dark hair framed her face.

It was ironic, really. Kin had spent her entire life trying to mould herself into the idealistic epitome of beauty. And here she was, killed by its manifestation.

* * *

Zaku Abumi was not one to form emotional attachments.

Not with his friends, not with his colleagues, certainly not with the people he slept with. And family? Well, his thoughts might have been different if he actually had any.

Kin Tsuchi was one of the few people who he had known since he was a child. She wasn't exactly close to him, but she knew him well enough to give him what she wanted.

He didn't love her. But he did enjoy her company. When she had started complaining about her relationship with that stupid blonde haired actor, he had quite easily provided her with an adequate solution.

Which was what began their affair eight months ago.

Not that he wouldn't drop her in the blink of an eye if trouble arose- he was in no way risking his own neck to help her out of any hole she had dug herself. Nor would he take responsibility for any part he may have had in the resultant trouble.

He wasn't a particularly good man- nobody who made their living off selling drugs to helpless teenagers and roping them into drug trafficking circles could ever be called a good man- and he wouldn't do anything to change it either. And if being a 'bad man' included sleeping with another man's partner, then so be it. -But for all its perks, he definitely wasn't one to stick around after he had finished. He had left shortly before midnight that night, and had long since returned to the safe confines of his own house.

It was at some point in the middle of the night that he became aware of the fact that he was no longer alone in his dimly lit apartment.

If he had taken the time to look at a timepiece while he padded to the kitchen to get himself a glass of water, he would have seen the time to be nearing two o' clock in the morning.

Who had entered his house so quietly, and how or why they did it, that he would never know.

In fact, he would never have known that there _had_ been someone in his house in the first place, if his killer hadn't decided to make that fact known to him.

After he had woken up and left his room to get a glass of water, he had spent several minutes pacing the kitchen, trying to shake himself back into a state of sleepiness once again.

When that had failed, he had sighed resignedly and decided to head back to his bedroom, all the while unaware of the second presence in his house.

Walking quietly through the dark corridor connecting his bedroom to his lounge, he suddenly became sharply aware of a sharp blade pressed against the side of his neck.

In that instant, as he felt the blade cut through his neck, the last thing he ever heard was a soft, feminine voice which spoke as his vision blurred and he fell to the floor.

"I have nothing personal against you. But you _were_ involved...It was going to hurt him. I won't let you keep hurting him..." a small laugh which was rapidly fading to silence in his ears. "I guess I _do_ have something personal against you. You were a part of it. And you didn't tell him about it. It's all for him really."

All Zaku could think of was what a beautiful voice she had. That voice alone would have been enough to silence him permanently- there would have been no need to kill him to do it.

Blood covered the floor and filled his vision.

As he felt his blood draining out of him- he put up a silent final struggle. He did not want to die! So many things he had left unfinished. So many things he wanted to achieve. He wanted to live a long life. Not a broken death.

But all resistance was futile as his consciousness slipped away, sealing his fate.

* * *

Perhaps having an annoying yet attractive woman knocking at his door at 6 in the evening wasn't as bad as Suigetsu had made it out to be. Agreed, he had wanted nothing more than to take a nap and rest. But Kin hadn't taken up too much of his time- and she had left him with that nice experience before she left, with a promise for more.

But Suigetsu's second visit for that day was definitely far more absurd than his first one. The consequences were far greater too.

For starters, being woken from a light slumber at 3 o clock, late in the night, to a loud knocking on his door, wasn't how he imagined his morning alarm going off. He was a light sleeper. He had tiring and physically exerting hobbies which required rest to perform. After all, skydiving, gladiator fighting, and bungee jumping weren't exactly things you could do while sleepy.

Donning nothing more than a pair of sweatpants and a grouchy attitude, he sluggishly crawled to the front door, taking from the wall a mounted iron sword before answering the door.

His mood was partially lightened on seeing the woman who greeted him at the door.

Pale ivory skin, cascading dark hair, and beautifully shaped silvery eyes which were only accentuated by the thick, long lashes surrounding them.

He had been visited by an angel. Or a goddess. An angelic goddess with dark hair and bloodstained cloths. A fallen angel then.

The sword clattered to the floor as his hand went limp.

Was he dreaming? Some sort of hallucination? Any sane person would have taken one look at the blood on her hands and slammed the door in her face. But he was always one for taking risks.

Wordlessly, he turned away from the door inviting her inside. Looking back on his actions, it wasn't exactly the wisest thing to do. When did that ever stop him?

"Who are you?" he asked, once in his living room.

The woman smiled coyly and shook her head slightly. She wasn't going to divulge any information? Then he'd just have to pry further.

Walking closer to her he brought his hand to her throat and lifted her off the ground, palming her windpipe in his hand and holding her inches above the wooden floorboards.

"Answer the question." he said dangerously, his voice a low growl.

"What do I look like to you?" a silvery, ethereal quiet voice asked.

His grip tightened, as he took in her appearance fully- his eyes taking in the bloodstains on her shirt, and the knife in her hand, in the arm that was folded behind her back. It wouldn't take much more for bruises to started forming on her

"I'd rather you put me down before you ask me to talk. Isn't that what a gentleman does?" she asked with a coy smile.

He put her down, eying her warily, before stopping with a wry grin. "What brings such an angelic goddess to my doorstep at such an ungodly hour?" he asked with a curious smirk and an exaggerated bow.

She smiled and walked closer to him, closing the distance between them. From the way she moved to the curve of her nose, and the outline of her clavicle visible from his vantage point, everything seemed to entrance him as she stood, not a hair's breadth away from him.

If Kin's seduction had been a pinprick earlier on that evening, then this was a full on stab.

Ironic.

That was the best adjective to put to his wording.

Ironic because in the next second, before Suigetsu had a chance to even understand what had happened next, a sharp cold metal plunged into his throat.

He should have known his risque nature would be the death of him. It was too late now.

But his regret had been that it was such an innocent sweet fact to dispatch him to the underworld. If he could only reach out and scare away the insanity that was slowly taking hold of her captivating eyes...

He lost consciousness moments later.

* * *

They hurt him.

She had _seen_ them.

All she wanted to do was make sure they pay for doing something that would hurt _him_.

There was nothing wrong in that, was there?

She wouldn't make his life miserable. She wouldn't try and interfere with him and the people he knew. She wouldn't even try to interfere at _all_.

She just wanted to help.

Was it so wrong to love him?

She didn't act on her undeniable urge to be close to him. She was happy to watch from far away.

So why couldn't she do the small amount she could for him?

What was wrong with feeling satisfactorily pleasured when she watched their blood spill out onto the floor around, and soak the carpets with their thick, dark stains? What was wrong with brushing away any tinge of guilt she might have had at the feel of their blood on her hands?

And their deaths hadn't been painful either. It was quicker than falling asleep.

She only did it because she loved him.

She did everything because she loved him.

She was drowning, and he had saved her. Why shouldn't she love him?

But she felt it. Their gazes. Although she was all alone now, it was still there. They judged her for what she did. They didn't approve.

Why wasn't it enough? She gave everything she had for her career. That hadn't been enough. Now she gave everything for her love. Why wasn't it enough now? Why was it never enough no matter how she tried?!

They didn't matter anyway. She knows what she did. She didn't deny it. At least, she didn't deny it to herself.

She did it because she loved him.

There should be nothing wrong in that.

She looked out of the window which overlooked his apartment. She was in the other house. The one next to his.

She had washed off any traces of their blood already.

Now, she took a shaky breath and spoke softly.

"I murdered them Naruto. All of them. For you."

It was almost morning now. Nobody saw her. Nobody heard her.

"Will you love me for it?"

* * *

 **Super sorry for the late update. Exams happened. Now please don't hit me. *wince***

 **Anyway since the apocalypse, *cough*, exams are over, I'll be back to my usual updates. A cookie for anyone who's still reading after this giant time lapse. Here's an extra long chapter to make up for my absence.  
**

 **There was also this reviewer who started calling Hinata fat and ugly- I have no problem if you criticize my writing, but don't degrade the characters like that. Not that it matters, but Kishimoto himself always called Hinata the most beautiful because he wanted to give Naruto the best in the manga. But that's not relevant to my story- here she's beautiful 'cause she's a super model and I've described her as such.**

 **If you like how I wrote the chapter, tell me, and if you think I could have done better, tell me that too!** **Leave a review and tell me what you think!**

 **~Raven**


	6. Chapter 6

**Ok I know I said it wouldn't happen again but it did happen and I'm sorry for releasing so late! *winces***

 **I won't make up excuses but i will try to update on a set schedule now onwards. If you guys have any suggestions for that schedule, do tell me in the reviews.**

 **I do feel sorry for killing Suigetsu, but I won't apologise for using it to feed Hinata's obsession. Now even I am interested to see how far I'll make her go.**

 **To the wonderful reviewer who suggested me using Tsunade in this story, thanks so much! I never thought of it like that but I will definitely add it in at some point. All of your reviews mean so much. They're either supportive or constructively criticising, but seriously , you guys are awesome.**

 **I'm currently mapping out how I plan to let Hinata get away with all of this without prosecution yet, so if you have any suggestions for that, let me know!**

 **I hope you enjoy this- a nice long chapter to make up for my absence.**

 **~Raven**

 **Standard disclaimers apply.**

* * *

 _Baby I'm a sociopath_

 _A sweet serial Killer_

 _On a warpath_

 _Cause I love you just a little too much_

 _I love you just a little too much_

 _~Lana_

* * *

"Mr Uzumaki! Can you comment on the alleged murder of your lover Kin Tsuchi?!"

 _Snap_

"Mr Uzumaki! Where were you on the night of the arrest?!"

 _Snap snap_. More hustling as reporters fought for a chance to get the blonde haired Actor on the microphone.

"Mr Uzumaki! What were your connections to the other two men murdered last night!?"

 _Snap_

"Mr Uzumaki! Your message to the rogue serial killer responsible for last night's attacks?!"

 _Snap_. They were preying on his sleepy, uninformed state as he left the airport. In fact, his eyes widened, clouded in confusion as he listened to them speak. But his protests and questions were forgotten in the constant interrogation at the hands of the reporters.

"Mr Uzumaki! Were you aware of the fact that your lover Kin Tsuchi has been cheating on you with several other men? Have you seen the pictures found at the three murder scenes? "

At that last comment, Naruto turned with wide eyes to the reporter who had spoken.  
Kin...cheating on him? And dead? Impossible. Nothing made sense. He struggled to say something, desperately looking around for some familiar face. "Wha-?"

"Naruto will not be answering any questions as of now. Now I suggest you leave before I call the police considering this a breach of security."

Naruto almost cried with relief when he turned to find the familiar face of his adopted sister Sakura staring down the reporters while the airport security took the opportunity to push away the media, giving Naruto some much desired privacy.

"Are you okay, Naruto?" She asked.

"Sakura! What's going on? What are they talking about? This doesn't make sense."

"Shh, calm down. I'll tell you every thing once we get out of here." She said soothingly, wrapping a protective arm around his shoulder and steering him away to safer transport.

Once in her car she looked at Naruto properly. Filming had taken him on a late night one hour flight to a more secluded location, to complete a few scenes in the night. Cut off from the rest of the world, he didn't know anything about what had happened yet. And he had been quite obviously shaken up by the mobbing reporters. The worst way for him to find out about the deaths was from complete strangers wanting eagerly to reveal his private life to the rest of the world.

"Hey where are we going ? This isn't the way to my place." He said as he looked out of the passenger window. He was supposed to go back to the studio today, after resting up at his house, but in light of recent events...

"Sasuke's house. They're crowding around your apartment. You don't want to go there just yet." Sakura said.

Personally, she wasn't so upset over Kin's death. She was never fond of the girl Naruto had been dating- she was far too attention seeking for her taste- and the fact that she had been cheating on her dear brother only served to further her dislike of the woman - but Naruto would be hurt by her death. She didn't want that. Added to that, Suigetsu, another victim of the previous night, was an acquaintance of Sasuke His death upset them. And the fact that he had been helping Kin to cheat on Naruto, as revealed by further investigation of the material found on th crime scene, angered them.

" W-What happened, Sakura?" he asked shakily.

Sighing, Sakura stopped the car, pulling over to park on the edge of the pavement. and turned to look at Naruto.

After a few moments' silence, she spoke.

"She was cheating on you. And siphoning money from your bank account."

He sat quiet for some time, looking at her numbly as he let what she said soak in. Then, he shook his head a few times. "She wasn't. How could she? " it sounded more like he was convincing himself.

"She was. That much is certain. Think about it Naruto. She was the one who asked you out in the first place. Its not like you were really interested in her. But she just took advantage of your kindness and affection. And then kept up relationships. Suigetsu was one of them. There was another, more prominent one too."

He clenched his teeth." But why? Why would they? And where is she I have to ask her!"

He was angry and hurt. But he already knew somewhat the other half of the bad news.

"We can never find out."

He looked at her, stricken.

"They're dead, Naruto. Kin, suigetsu, and the other guy- another of her lovers. We don't know the motive for the murder yet."

It broke her heart to see the lost, lonely, grieving look on her face. But strangely enough she felt less animosity towards the killer than

she did towards the undeserving woman who tried to cheat on her brother and break his heart. She only hoped he wasn't in love with her enough for her death to completely devastate him.

After hearing no reply from him, she tentatively asked, " Naruto?"

He looked up at her.

"Is this hitting you really hard?"

It may seem like a tactless question, but that was the nature of the trust they had.

"I guess I want to know why she did it. And I'm sad that she's dead. But I'm angry at her too."

"And you're not devastated that she's dead." she finished for him. "At least not now that you've heard about what she did."

He nodded in agreement.

Sighing she said, "I think we all need a drink once we're at Sasuke's place."

* * *

"I need to speak to him! You can't deny me that, Uchiha! Let me past!"

"Hn. You can't force your way into my house. "

" Sasuke? Who's there? Wait - why are YOU here?"

" Wait a minute! What's going on here! Aren't you that girl who kept throwing herself at Sasuke a couple of months back?! "

" You! Murderer! How dare you stand there like nothing's wrong! "

All four looked at each other in the open doorway.

Naruto with a surprised but guilty look on his face.

Sakura with a look of annoyance softened by worry as she looked over at Naruto.

Sasuke impassive as ever but exchanging a quick glance with Sakura over the situation which could easily escalate into something far more dangerous.

And the redheaded new comer, still standing at the threshold, fixing a grief stricken but hate filled look at Naruto.

They all remembered the redheaded reporter whose numerous grabs for Sasuke's attention had hounded the three of them for almost 8 months. The only reason she had stopped was because after one of her persistent attempts to get an interview with Sasuke, he had shot her down harshly by having Sakura act as his girlfriend- something which had been one of Naruto's less moronic ideas, and had resulted in a visit to the hospital for Sakura and a visit from the police and a broken heart for the one who hurt her.

They hadn't heard from her since- but seeing her here now did not bode well.

Sakura was the first to break the awkward silence which had filled the air, with surprisingly little hostility in her tone.

"What do you want, Karin?"

The red head's bespectacled eyes were puffy and red, filled with anger and hate, as she spoke without looking away from Naruto.

"I'm here to put a murderer behind bars!" she shrieked.

"Quit the crap and tell us why you're here." Sasuke said.

Karin looked between the three of them, not saying anything, almost  
shaking with rage. And grief.

"It's to do with the deaths last night, right?" Sakura asked hesitantly, looking worriedly between Naruto and Karin, now slightly concerned for the redhead infront of her.

Karin turned to look at Sakura, shaking as tears formed in her eyes. And then, all of a sudden, her body slackened and she descended into hysterics.

"He-he was my best friend! " A violent sob shook her body. "I-I loved him!"

It was as though a dam had burst, as all of her unshed tears welled up and traced down her cheeks.

Sakura walked forward to pull Karin into a gentle embrace, a soothing hand on her back while she calmed the sobbing redhead.

"I-I never even got a chance to tell him! We were going to be happy  
together! I-I was going to make him happy!I was going to be with him, and take care of him, and...and.."

A human being is a fickle and confusing thing. They can live their lives filled with malice and hatred, or under the harshest of circumstances, without ever breathing a word of complaint. But a single event, insignificant or phenomenal, is enough to shatter everything henceforth. It can evoke the strongest emotions of hatred, and disgust, love or sympathy from those around. Yet, it can break a person so utterly that it shatters the very being they stand for.

And this was, perhaps, exactly what had happened to Karin as she broke down in Sakura's arms. Her emotions blurred her conscience until the fine lines reason and irrationality, right and wrong, was replaced with a gradient sea of grey.

As Karin drew back till only Sakura's hand remained on her shoulder, she turned to Naruto.

"Its your fault!" she spat venomously.

The heartbroken expression of guilt on Naruto's face was what snapped Sasuke's thinly resting patience.

"That's enough Karin! Whatever silly emotional trauma you have you do **not** need to draw Naruto into your petty accusations! It is **not** his fault!" He shouted.

"Emotional trauma? _EMOTIONAL TRAUMA_?!" she shrieked, shrugging off Sakura's hand from her shoulder to fix Sasuke and Naruto with a look of pure loathing, "He's DEAD. Can you bring him back? _Can you_? He's dead..H-he's _dead_! Suigetsu's _dead_! And for what? That bitch of a girlfriend of his and his bruised ego at being cheated on?" She pointed towards Naruto, her expression murderous, "HE'S the one who hired someone to kill the lot of them! Who else would do it? And Suigetsu was NOT helping her cheat on Naruto! She seduced him! Or forced him! But he wouldn't help her! He-he's not like that!" she descended into sobs again, moving towards Naruto.

Sakura and Sasuke tensed, for fear of her attacking Naruto. "Bring him back!"

More sobs. Her legs shaky, she stood an arms length away from Naruto.

"BRING HIM BACK!"

Her voice rose to a crescendo.

"BRING...bring...bring him back. Please."

Her last words were a hoarse whisper as she sank to her knees.

Naruto stared down at her shocked, unable to say anything.

"Bring him back"

The tears wouldn't stop cascading down her cheeks.

Naruto's voice wasn't any louder than a ghost's footsteps when he spoke. He looked shell shocked. He, so used to helping everyone and trying so hard to let everyone acknowledge him, what could he do faced with her? Who had finally found a source of happiness again, only to have it torn away from her by death in something which at some level could as well be traced back to him?

"I...I didn't kill anyone..I mean..I..I'm so...so...sorry."

She stopped crying and looked at him with red rimmed eyes.

Then, she stood up and spoke, her eyes filling with a cold glare, as though coming to some inner realisation.

"Sorry isn't enough. It will never be."

And she turned and left the house.

* * *

Naruto finally arrived at his apartment at near 5 in the evening. The flocks of reporters had dwindled down enough for him to step out of Sakura's car without being mobbed. In front of the looming building which housed his flat, there was barely any crowd, save for the day to day passersby.

"Sasuke just called to say that he'll be joining us some mess at his agency." He heard Sakura say, emerging from the car.

"So it will be the three of us, right?" Naruto said, looking hesitantly up at the darkened windows of his flat.

"Yes. The three of us. Just like always."

He was much more cheerful now than he had been earlier that day when Karin left. He was still saddened by the news which had greeted him that morning, and was dreading the funeral to be held in a few days' time, but he was in much better spirits after spending the day with his two best friends. He was cheery and bright. Spending time with them always seemed to do that to him.

"I didn't expect to be running into you here today. Hello Mr Uzumaki."

Naruto turned round to see a dark haired model standing behind he and Sakura.

"Hinata!" He greeted cheerily. "No need to be so formal - Naruto is fine. Geez- Mr Uzumaki makes me sound so old." Naruto said, happily surprised at her sudden appearance outside of his apartment building.

A light cold breeze blew past them, the cool breeze dusting her pale cheeks with a sultry rose.

"Oh wait - Sakura, this is Hinata. Hinata Hyuga. Hinata, this is my sister, Sakura Haruno." he introduced the two girls.

"Its a pleasure to meet you, Sakura." Hinata said, extending a slender hand in greeting.

She wore a red floral casual dress enveloped in a form fitting violet cardigan. Her long, bare legs were exposed to the sudden chill which overtook the weather.

"The pleasure is mine." Sakura said, immediately recognising her as the internationally acclaimed supermodel, not doubting for a second that Naruto had befriended her without even knowing who she was.

"But Hinata! What are you doing here?!" Naruto asked.

"Actually, I live here." she said nonchalantly, going on to continue, "I saw the huge crowd around here and came outside to see what was happening."

"You live here?! In this building?!" Naruto asked, once again surprised, throwing a hand in the direction of his apartment building.

"Well...not this building. The one next to it. The modelling agency suggested I keep a spare place for security reasons. I bought an apartment here two months ago."

"That's nice. I guess that makes us like neighbours, right?" he said.

"Yes. Neighbours. That's nice." she said, the cold hiding her slight blush.

It did not go unnoticed by Sakura though, and the older girl, who had taken a liking to the model, could already somewhat gather that she held some sort of affection towards her brother.

" Naruto, why don't you invite Hinata to come upstairs with us?" Sakura said, moving to the back of her car to take out a few bags.

" Great idea! Hinata, why don't you come upstairs with us? Have some tea? Or are you a coffee person?" he asked. His manner was more reserved and less boisterous as opposed to his behaviour earlier.

Hinata's blush deepened as her surprised words came out in an embarrassed exclamation.

"Me? Oh no, I couldn't impose like that. Surely you're tired and stressed right now."

" No it's really no problem. I'm sure you'd like it. Sasuke's coming to join us too. You know Sasuke, right? I saw you working with him before..."

" Its really sweet of you to ask. But I think I shan't overstep my boundaries any further today. But we'll see each other again, right? Maybe another time?" she said.

"Oh.. Okay! That'll be fun."

They stood in silence for a few moments, each lost in their own thoughts, before Sakura spoke.

"Naruto, I'm gonna take some bags upstairs, and you come join me when you're done, okay? It was nice to meet you, Hinata. Do take us up on that invitation at some point." She said to the two, before waving goodbye and turning away to leave.

After a few more moments' awkward silence, Hinata said, "You have such a nice sister. Does she live with you?"

Her voice was soft and silvery.

"Nah she doesn't. But she spends a lot of time with me and Sasuke..." he said, looking in the direction which Sakura had left.

"The woman who died...I heard that she was..involved with you." she said hesitantly after another pause.

Naruto was quiet for some time.

"... Yeah. She was. Kin and I... We were sorta dating."

" Sort of?"

"Well...I was dating her. But according to the investigation, she was siphoning money from my bank account- large amounts into several accounts on the black market. And the scenes of the murders were littered with...pictures of her with other men. Physically intimate. Recent pictures. And the assessments say that they weren't photoshopped or faked or anything. I-I don't know if she even felt anything in the first place."

Seeing the hurt look on his face wounded her to no end. He wouldn't have known, but she was more than glad that the woman was now dead. But what could she say to him? What words could she even begin to offer in comfort?

"...I'm sorry." Not sorry for what I did. But sorry that you still have to be hurt by it.

" Thank you." was his quiet reply.

They once again stood in silence. But it was a comforting silence. Unspoken words of tender affection wrapping him in a comforting warmth. They did not speak, save for quiet farewells, but it was somehow more meaningful than a thousand words of sympathy.

* * *

" It's his fault! I know it- I-I'm sure! It's his fault! He killed Suigetsu! I-I don't know how he did it, but it was _him_ ! Jugo we have to do something!" The shrill voice laden with tears spoke in hushed, rushed whispers.

" Karin. You're overreacting. Although Suigetsu's murder was... Horrible... You can't pin the blame on Naruto. Naruto's harmless- he would never have done it." came the calm soothing baritone.

"You can't possibly be on HIS side Jugo! Suigetsu is DEAD and you're defending his murderer?"

" You think I'm not upset over his death? But you can't pin his death on innocent people. Let the police do their job."

"I don't believe this! You're taking their side over mine! Over Suigetsu's!"

" You're emotional and unstable Karin.. You can't make assumptions in this condition. Now I'm going to go back to my house and bring some stuff over to spend the night. I don't think you want to be alone tonight."

"No you can go and don't fucking come back! I don't need anyone who tries to defend his murderer."

" Don't do this Karin. Now go up to your flat and I'll be back in half an hour."

The tall man with orange hair left the redhead alone to her own thoughts in the empty cafe.

"He- He doesn't believe me." she said quietly, then laughed slightly.

"He doesn't believe me! He thinks I'm insane!" she said, louder this time, laughing the whole time.

" It doesn't matter though. I know who's REALLY insane. The man who killer Suigetsu-Naruto Uzumaki. I'll just have to avenge Suigetsu myself. I'll kill him- I'll kill him for what he did to Suigetsu. "

She started laughing more, as she finished her cappuccino and left the cafe, leaving a 5 dollar bill on the table as she went.

Hinata listened from her own table, face hidden by the book in front of her, presence hidden by the high backed chair she sat in, in a dusty corner of the same cafe.

Always listening. Always watching.

She loved him so much.

Maybe even a little too much.

But that would never stop her.

And now he fuelled her motives.

She was always watching.

Always listening.

To make sure that nobody could ever hurt the one that mattered most to her. So that nobody could try to hurt Naruto.

True to her motive, she had to work to achieve it now.


	7. Chapter 7

_You can see me drinking Cherry Cola  
_

 _Sweet serial killer_

 _Left a love note_

 _Said you know i love the thrill of the rush_

 _You know I love the thrill of the rush..._

 _~Lana_

* * *

"Karin Uzumaki. You are hereby under arrest for the murders of Kin Tsuchi, Zaku Abumi, and Suigetsu Hozuki. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to speak to an attorney, and to have an attorney present during any questioning."

* * *

'"Listen man I'm really sorry 'bout this shit you're going through. You don't have to come up if you don't want, it's okay if Sakura or Sasuke comes up instead."

"No really it's okay, we'll all go up." was Naruto's reply.

Brown messy hair, and red triangular tattoos marked the police officer who greeted them at the federal bureau headquarters. Kiba Inuzuka, an old friend was the officer in charge for the given case.

Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura followed the officer into the looming building climbing to the third floor, which housed the offices.

Kiba led them to a closed office at the end of the hall. The mark of a higher official in the police enforcement - the rest had an open office area. Two large wooden tables lined opposite walls, one meticulously arranged, and the other a haphazard mess. Kiba led them to the messier desk and brought out four files from beneath the jumble of files and stray papers. Handing the files to the three, he began.

"My partner's not here at the moment so I'll just give you the details myself. The accused is a Ms Karin Uzumaki- she a relative of yours or is that a coincidence?"

"A distant relative." he said nonchalantly, before jumping in surprise as he registered what he said.

"Karin Uzumaki? That's not possible. She-" Sakura started.

Sasuke cut her off.

"Let him finish." he said in a stoic baritone.

Kiba looked between the three, confused, before going on to say, "A weapon was found in her apartment. It has traces of blood of the three victims. The blade has several of her biometric prints on it - and nobody else's. It is quite definitely the murder weapon. Further investigation shows that she was reported to have been the last to stay at the hotel room where Ms Tsuchi was found dead."

"What are you saying the motive for murder was?" Sasuke asked, his face impassive.

"Among pictures found there was some of Ms Tsuchi intimately involved with Mr Hozuki. We felt that she murdered them out of a jealous frenzy induced insanity." Kiba finished. A long pause ensued.

"Less than a day after the murder, Karin approached us at Sasuke's house. She was a wreck - completely devastated by Suigetsu's death. She blamed the deaths on Naruto and Kin, and eventually became hysterical before she left. It shook us up quite a bit." Sakura said breaking the silence and finishing with, "How do you think that could come from a murderer?"

"We've already considered that. Since we took her into custody this morning she's exhibited plenty of signs of mental instability. Think of it - she's perfectly capable of murdering someone. And this isn't the first time the police have cornered her for taking things too far. She murders them, then plays the role of the hysterical victim to throw off suspicion. And then she gets away a free woman. Not this time. "We're having a professional psychiatrist come in to have a look at her later on today." Kiba said.

The three of them looked at him, surprise and disbelief marring their features.

"So the person who killed Suigetsu ... was Karin?" Naruto asked, the truth of it sinking in as he shook his head in surprise.

Sakura put a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"It's okay, Naruto...It doesn't exactly matter now, remember?"

Naruto nodded slowly saying, "But that still doesn't justify people dying. That's four people's lives ruined there!"

Leave it to Naruto to be the big hearted humanitarian he was.

"Maybe not four. If her lawyers play this right , Karin will go to a psychiatric ward and will go into rehabilitation."

"What do we need to do? How does her rehabilitation help us?" Sasuke asked, growing impatient.

"You might have to be present at the court hearing. As for the rest - it's upto the courts now. We police have done all we can. So have you although there's not much you can do seeing as you're not leading the prosecution. Your contact details have been given to the lawyers so they'll contact you if they need you any further." Kiba said.

"In that case, we'll get going now?"Sakura asked.

Kiba nodded mouthing a "Bye" as Sasuke led them out the way they had came.

As Naruto left he felt a hand fall on his shoulder and turned to see the Inuzuka who said, "Don't worry man this should all work out fine, okay?"

Naruto nodded, flashing him a smile before following Sasuke and Sakura.

* * *

Hinata wasn't usually _cruel_.

No, she took absolutely no pleasure in destroying an innocent woman's life.

But then again, Karin was in no way innocent.

Killing Karin would be far too complicated at this point in time. But at least she could lock her up, lock her up far away. Far, far away, where she could never lay as much as a finger on Naruto.

Karin Uzumaki. She had no right to even bare the same surname as _him_ , let alone to try to harm him. It was a cruel trick of fate that she shared even a sliver of the same blood. But it wouldn't matter any more.

Hinata had her framed. It was simple really- a perfect way to divert suspicion.

Kill two birds with one stone.

* * *

"I'm thinking the theme for this fashion show in two days should be..., wait for it,... _Eternity_. Eternal _time_ , eternal _youth_ , eternal _death_ , eternal _beauty_ , eternal _love_. What d'you think Hinata?"

The ravenette stayed quiet, nodding slightly.

The other woman playfully tapped her arm, chidingly saying, "Don't be like that Hinata, you should know how I'm nothing like your managers or those other directors. I'm not going to force you into anything you don't want! But gosh what a theme...I'm so great at this stuff aren't I? If we pull this off within the next two days, I'll be the talk of the town."

She flipped her platinum blonde hair over one shoulder and smirked smugly.

"Isn't this supposed to be a fashion show to decide which designers you'll take on your troupe to Milan? Their designs on the catwalk not yours?" Hinata asked blankly, not in the least impressed by her director's narcissism. Ino was technically one of the lesser of multiple evils in the fashion world, but that didn't mean that Hinata trusted her any further than she could throw her; which wasn't very far in the first place.

"Yeah well the audience won't know that will they? They come to see my work, not a bunch of amateurs." she said.

' _Actually_ ,' she thought to herself, sighing, ' _They come to see us models dressed in all of your work_.'

"It's quite obvious that your sub theme is eternal beauty. What else for the supermodel Hinata Hyuga? We'll pull of the theme perfectly. The designers working for you are two newbies- but they show a lot of promise. And they're hot as hell too. Sasori Akasuna and Deidara. They do tend to fight each other quite a bit, so you'll have to bear with them. When "

Conversations with Ino were always like this- always Ino talking nonstop with her gossip or new designs, with Hinata nodding to show she was listening even though her thoughts had wandered to far off places.

"And I'm thinking of scrapping the entire cast for that serialisation I'm directing - I'm just not feeling it with them, you know? They're useless to me now. Thought I'd get rid of them and cast fresh people to their roles. I hope the Slice of Life fans don't mind too much..."

A waiter walked up to their table, notepad in hand, and spoke, "What can I get for you two lovely ladies today?"

Looking up at the waiter, Hinata flashed him a kind smile as she said, "I'll have a quinoa salad and salmon croquettes."

"And you?" he asked, turning to Ino.

The blonde looked up at the young man and winked flirtatiously. "I'll have what she said, with some lemonade as well."

"Any drinks for you ma'am?" he asked turning to the ravenette.

Her smile widened slightly with a small mischievous glint in her eyes.

"Cherry cola will do fine."

* * *

"Package for Mr Naruto Uzumaki."

Naruto looked at the mailman in front of him.

"Who...?" Naruto asked, surprised.

He had been about to leave to meet Sasuke and grab lunch with him.

"They would prefer to remain anonymous."

Puzzling. "What's the package?" he asked.

The courier handed him a bouquet of pure white lilies and deep purple irises.

He gingerly took the bouquet wrapped in a silky purple covering, almost afraid to ruin it if he handled it too roughly. It looked so delicate. Intricate. Beautiful.

A small card was delicately placed among the petals.

Gently picking out the card, he read the slanting spidery script - very beautifully written message.

' _You are more loved now that she is gone._ '

* * *

"Naruto! Sasuke! You didn't tell me you'd be coming today!"

Hinata watched from the wings of the catwalk, casually leaning against the wall as she waited for the stage to be set up.

The frazzled looking blonde director's hands rushed to her hair, feeling for flyaway strands of hair that didn't exist as she walked up to the two men and greeted them.

Hinata felt her fingers curl into a fist as she saw Ino throw her arms around Naruto in a hug.

"I heard about what happened to Kin and everything... I'm so... _so_ sorry about what happened Naruto..." the blonde said in a rush as Naruto drew away from the embrace.

"Umm...you don't really need to apologise Ino... There's nothing you could do about it." Naruto said, trying to laugh it off nonchalantly to edge away from the topic - and also from Ino's vice like grip.

"But think of it this way. She was a stupid bitch who cheated on you. You don't need people like that in your life, do you?" she said, putting a hand on her hip and looking at Naruto intently.

Hinata watched.

"No he doesn't. And he doesn't need every person he meets bringing it up again either, Ino." Sasuke interrupted.

Hinata kept watching.

"Oh! I'm sorry. Yes you're right... Sorry. Come on let me show you how this fashion show's going to run. Sasuke I know you've taken the day off but you need to come see what the show's gonna include." Ino chattered on, as she led the way.

Hinata watched their retreating figures. Her heart lurched with a relatively unfamiliar feeling as she watched the blonde amicably talk to the two. Not necessarily both of them. But definitely, she felt unfamiliarly vindictive as she watched the two blondes converse.

Jealous. She was jealous.

But more than that.

She was angry too.

Ino's words from earlier came back to her.

' _They're useless to me now. I'll get rid of them and cast fresh people to their roles._ '

The name of the show Naruto starred in.

' _I hope the Slice of Life fans don't mind too much._ '

Looking down at her hand, she unfurled it quickly before the nails could leave marks in her palm.

Her eyes strayed back to their retreating forms.

Some people would call it crazy. Psychotic. But she loved him too much to let people keep hurting him.

Didn't she?

* * *

"This theme is so stupid! Eternal beauty! I mean who wants art if it's like that forever! Art is fleeting! Don't you agree Hinata? I mean... Isn't that beautiful face all the more breathtaking if you can only see it for a moment?"

Hinata looked at the banana blonde haired man who had introduced himself to her as Deidara. One of the two artists assigned to her Ino's show.

"Nonsense. Hinata's beauty is eternal and should be captured in that timeless essence. How else can you call it art?" his partner, a dusty red haired man, Sasori countered.

"See this is why we never get along! Sasori danna always argues with my art! " Deidara complained.

"We don't have time for this now!" Sasori said, handing Hinata a box, saying, " Ms Yamanaka asked us to meet her in the main hall. Put this on now and we'll come back to put on the finishing touches. Is that okay?"

She smiled politely at them and said, "Yes that's fine."

Once they left she gently lifted the lid of the box, letting the silky fabric slip over her fingers as she took the dress out.

It was a light, glossy, royal lilac hue. And so soft to touch that it would surely be weightless once she donned it.

A strapless dress with a beaded bodice and a tulle flair at the waist, beneath which stretched a silky body hugging skirt which billowed into a gown after reaching the knees.

Intricate delicate beaded pearls set in a washed out gold embroidered the sleeveless bodice. It would fit like a glove.

It was, she decided, a rich blend of sleek and extravagant- typical of the designers she had just had the pleasure of meeting.

Quickly discarding the dressing robe she wore, she slipped into the snug dress. It was certainly beautiful, and she found herself internally praising the artists more and more. They were sure to go to Milan with Ino if this was their skill.

' _I wonder...what will **he** think if he sees me wearing this?_ '

The sound of the door opening caught her attention, just as she began to ponder how to deal with the zip.

'It must be Deidara or Sasori... ' she mused, her back still turned to the door.

"Zip me up, will you?" she asked politely as she pulled part of her hair around one shoulder.

No answer.

She heard the person's footsteps as they walked towards her, feeling the radiating warmth of their masculine frame, and the musky enveloping scent.

' _It's not Sasori, or Deidara... But then who?'_

Normally she would have turned around by then, but this time she didn't. Her thoughts wandered towards Naruto's blonde hair and blue eyes. His tan, masculine figure. But it would have been ridiculous to picture him behind her.

She felt long, warm, sturdy fingers graze lightly over the skin of her back, starting from the nape and trailing down to the zipper, taking hold of it. The contact sent shivers down her spine, spreading from the point of contact, tingling across her back as she waited in what must have been anticipation. But anticipation why?

Slowly, tantalisingly, the zipper was pulled upwards, over the plane of her back.

A hot breath tickled her ear. The person behind her must have lowered their head to her ear.

Her heart skipped a beat as she caught a glimpse of blonde hair out of the corner of her eyes.

 _Naruto? It must have been her imagination_...

But the breath tickled her ear again, and in a low, husky whisper he said, "You look gorgeous, Hinata."

She froze.

She recognised the voice.

Of course she recognised the voice.

She'd recognise it anywhere.

 _Naruto_.

Her heart quickened in its pace.

She felt her blood pounding through her veins in a thrilling, frenzied rush.

Her senses heightened, every breath, every sound, furthering her ultra sensitised state.

She felt the breath travel from her ear to the side of her neck, leaving a slow, hot trail in its wake.

Between breaths, he said, "Absolutely... Breathtaking..."

He stopped directly upon the junction of her neck and shoulder.

Her breathing had quickened to soft pants as her mind raced with elation. She waited in exhilaration, feeling almost like she were walking on air.

She felt those warm, soft lips - lips she had only dreamed of till now- gently press onto the joint of her neck and shoulder.

His kiss lingered for several fleeting moments - as quick as an explosion, yet eternal all the same.

His lips were like fire. So hot it was almost unbearable... Yet they felt so... So good.

She felt herself almost melting...slowly coming undone at the sensual touch, her heart beating wildly as she closed her eyes for a second.

And then, faster than she could have blinked, the hand from her zipper disappeared.

As had the breath on her neck.

As had the body behind her.

And she looked around the empty room.

Had she imagined it all? After everything, it had been a cruel trick of her mind? Most probably... But she couldn't help the way her heart sank in disappointment, her lips curling into a frown.

Her hand strayed to her back, to the top of her zip.

It was fixed in place, fully done.

Then it hadn't been her imagination?

Her lips curled upwards again, ever so slightly, as she felt a flutter of nervous hope in her chest.

* * *

He hadn't meant to do it.

Taking advantage of Hinata like that.

He had never meant to do it.

She had been nothing but nice and sweet to him since they met.

And still... He took advantage of her like that at the first opportunity he had.

She'd probably never want to see him again...

He mentally slapped himself as he moved to find Sasuke.

Then again... All he had done was kiss her shoulder. It wasn't really thaaat bad, was it?

Who was he kidding... If he hadn't come to his senses then who knows what else he would've done.

Seeing her in that dress... Just seeing _her_... He had acted instinctively.

How would he ever face her again?

He'd have to wait and see how she'd react after seeing him, before apologising.

Yes, if he apologised there would be no problem, would there?

He only hoped so...

And yet the only thing he could ascertain was that something in his head still wanted to go back to that room which he had accidentally stumbled upon...

He couldn't shake the inkling that perhaps... merely perhaps... He had just tipped the silver chalice of an irresistible, deliciously tantalising addiction.

 _And he just couldn't get enough of it._.

* * *

 **Hope you liked it. I sure did. Thanks for all the suggestions- they really put my imagination on a rollercoaster!**

 **New question for you guys- what kind of a role would you like to see Neji play in this story? Any other characters you're intereted in seeing? And any other suggestions you might have? I'm all ears!**

 **Edit: just cleaned up a few typos**

 **Thanks so much everyone. I can't thank you enough.**

 **~Raven**


	8. Chapter 8

**It's been a long time... Feel free to kill me for the 4 month late update. But do tell me what you think. I'll still keep writing from Tartarus, don't worry.  
Some elements of this chapter might not bode so well with some of you. In reply to that, I can only say that they're not a prominent theme, and they're not too likely to surface again. But I wanted to experiment with how I can portray relationships, and hence the outro of this chapter.  
**

 **Enjoy  
~Raven  
**

* * *

 _Sweet serial killer_  
 _Do it for the thrill of the rush,_  
 _Love you just a little too much, much._

 _~Lana_

* * *

The illuminated screen of her phone went black as she looked down in frustration.

"What's the point in having a damned secretary if they never pick up a simple phone call?! This is urgent!"

Picking up the device again, she redialed, only to reach a dead line. "Damn bastard won't pick up his phone." She bit out heatedly.

 _Crack._

The sound of tempered glass splitting broke the serene silence of the room as she threw the phone to the ground in frustration.

As her breath calmed, she sighed, grimacing as she looked at the spot where it had landed.

Flipping her shimmery blonde hair over one shoulder as she stood up, she crossed the room to her fallen device, crouching to pick it up and frowning at the screen, slipping the broken phone into her mauve jacket.

"I guess there's no fixing it- I'll just get out a new one," she said into the silence.

Purple heels clicked against the wooden floors as she walked out of the office.

Most people wouldn't be too keen on the idea of living alone in a house as large as her own. But Ino had grown used to the silence. With the number of people she interacted with on a daily basis as a director, she was hardly alone at home either way. Evenings such as that day were hard to come by in the first place.

The sound of a doorbell ringing echoed throughout the house, changing her course as she moved into the hallway and unbolted the ornamentally large old fashioned door.

Peering outside, she was greeted with an empty porch.

"That's strange..." she mused, stepping back and fully opening the door.

The streets visible from her doorway were all but empty. A stray cat darted across the road and disappeared into the bushes. Not a single person in sight.

She moved to step forward, to find her foot obstructed. Looking down and stepping back in surprise, she met a small parcel at her feet. Surrepticiously looking around one last time, she bent down to pick up the parcel and disappeared behind the door, bolting it shut once again.

Atop the small rigid box sat a lilac hued envelope with a faint lavender scent. Taking the parcel into her office, Ino set it on the table, opening the envelope. A cloud of powder spilled out of the envelope along with a folded sheet within, lightly dusting her clothes and her hands too as she coughed, waving it aside and shaking it off.

Pulling out the sheet inside, she recognised the writing almost immediately. Neat and elegant, the note was short and ominous,

 _Careful, Everything needs air to survive._

For a moment she was surprised, then noting the small ' _H.H_ ' dotted at the bottom of the page, a small laugh escaped her. She hadn't expected Hinata to pull a joke on her like that, but it was harmless.

What could Hinata have gotten her that needed such an obsolete delivery? Wouldn't she have been able to simply hand it over at the studio earlier that day?

Curiosity piqued, she lifted the top of the lid, cautiously moving it aside, and peering into the box.

A startled cry escaped her as she stumbled back, manicured hands clasping over her mouth as bile rose to her throat.

Spiders.

Two of them.

Each the size of her palm.

Both curled in a foetal position.

Dead.

She looked away quickly, looking back to the note in disgust. Was this some sort of joke? Noting a small postscript on the other side of the paper, nausea rose in her once again.

 _Dead? Should have opened it on time, ne?_

She turned around, wasting no time in getting to the bathroom as she hurled over the washstand. The image of the spiders still freshly imprinted in her head.

Washing the bitter acidic taste off her tongue, she closed her eyes and pressed her forehead against cool surface of the mirror in front of her.

She took a deep breath, trying to quell the nausea that had settled over her like a straightjacket.

 _Why would Hinata have done something like that?_ But more importantly, _How would she have known?_ _How would she have known what Ino had never told anyone? Arachnophobia was pretty common- but not to the extent she had. What sort of a sick joke was Hinata playing?_

Opening her eyes, bright aquamarine eyes looked back at her. Ino stood, looking at her reflection in the mirror, at the white flecks that lined the light blue of her irises. A movement behind her caught her attention, her eyes darting to the wall behind her. For a moment, she stood, transfixed, watching as the white tiles of her bathroom wall were entirely cloaked in a sheet of dark brown, wing like patterns. To her untrained eye, it seemed in that instant to be a drape or cloth.

As the so called cloak shimmered and moved, she felt her eyes widen in shock.

 _A thousand moths sat poised on her wall, their hairy wings leisurely unfolded._

 _Moths._

She screamed, her blonde pony tail lashing against the mirror as she turned around in horror, the noise startling the moths as a few took flight in agitation.

Frozen on spot she watched as more and more moths started flying - some towards the windows, some towards the bathroom light, but most of them towards _her_.

"Stay away!" She shrieked, though her words were lost on them. She waved her hands around in front of her, trying to drive them back,

The feel of small powdery wings brushing against her cheeks pushed her over the edge.

Shivering, she ran blindly towards the door, in a mess of limbs as her arms covered her face in a desperate attempt to block out the moths.

Her shoulder crashed against the door as she fumbled with its knob, her body shaking with half sobs as the moths fluttered around her, their flimsy antennae digging into her legs as they flew into her again and again. She sobbed with fear and disgust, as her limbs numbed. "Go away!" she said, between sobs, "Leave me alone"

The door gave way, and she tumbled onto the floor with another scream as a flood of moths came flying out, into the hallways, a cloud of them still surrounding her as though she were a flame.

She shrieked, hysterically sobbing as tried to rise to her knees and crawl away.

"Go away!...Stay away!...Somebody...help me"

She saw less and less, as fear and confusion clouded her mind and consciousness, she drew her knees close and curled up, tears tracing her cheeks as her breathing slowed.

With what was left of her awareness, she recognised a prickly sensation quickly trailing up her forearm.

Pushing herself upright, and dreading what she would find, she looked down apprehensively at her arm.

What she saw made her lose all sense of reality she had left.

A trail of black and orange crawled up her arm.

Hairy sets of eight large legs each, black beady eyes, and sharp, hooked fangs.

A line of large, black tarantulas crawled up her arm.

Her eyes widened slowly, and she Slowly, she started laughing. Laughing at herself. Laughing at her fears. Laughing at what was happening. And yet hating it all the same. Dreading it just as much.

It must have been a dream.

Couldn't possibly be real, could it?

This couldn't have been happening to _her_?

She looked into the black, fathomless eyes of the closest tarantula.

What was it like, she wondered, to be able to destroy people in the clutch of your legs?

She laughed again.

There wasn't really much to wonder about. She wasn't so different. They were probably more like her than any humans she knew.

Looking down at her arm, laughter turned to hiccups, which melted into sobs and screams once again.

"I'm sorry!..I'm sorry! Just...leave me alone..."

 _Alone. But not alone. Away from people who mind. And with people who actually matter._

She screamed herself hoarse, her hands frantically flailing around, throwing the tarantulas off her, scrambling to her feet and making a beeline for the door.

Ironically as soon as she opened the door, she was met by the sound of a large hive falling from the corner of her doorway, cracking against the floor of her patio as a swarm of angry hornets emerged.

Barefooted, tired, and scared out of her wits she jumped over the hive, wincing as she felt two stings prick her ankle.

Running for her closest car, she stopped herself before she opened the door. The sight of a large, black, scorpion on the inner window of the car, she jerked away, still sobbing as she ran out onto the street, where her other car was parked.

Yanking it open, and thanking whatever gods were still looking out for her that there was nothing inside and that she had installed a passcode unlocking system on her cars in place of normal keys a few weeks ago.

Slipping into the driver's seat, she slammed down on the accelerator.

She had no idea where she was going, just knew that she had to get _away_.

Her hands automatically took her towards the center of the city, as her mind drifted far away.

 _To a time when she wasn't so much of a tarantula as she was a friend._

 _To a time when she had everything she could have ever wanted, and had thrown it away for everyhting she thought she wanted._

 _To a time when she was loved._

Sobbing over the steering wheel, her hands reached for the glove compartment of the car, where she knew would be a phone she could use. One that wasn't broken.

She drove with only one person in mind.

Seeing an upcoming traffic light, she looked towards the glove compartment to find her telephone, instead finding her heart in her throat as she screamed, losing all control of the car as she saw the beady black body of a black widow spider crawl onto her outstretched hand.

The sound of angry cries, horns blaring, and tires screeching were the last thing she heard before she felt herself bent at an impossible angle, and everything else went black, replaced by a flash of incredible pain, and then nothingness...

* * *

Detached houses were hard to come by in the center of the bustling city. They tended to be scattered around the outskirts of the city.

That being said, some of the more expensive residential areas were located on the fringes of the busy city. But that only served to make it that much easier to slip into them.

Footsteps crunched the gravel of the large driveway that surrounded the house, disappearing into the garden behind. A telltale of midnight dark hair disappeared into the looming branches and the vines that draped from them, concealing the entrance to the garden from the external eye.

Houses like these seemed almost supernatural... isolated from the rest of the world. Perhaps that was why Ino had chosen such a place to live. To escape. But from what?

Hinata watched the creeping vines that fell from the branches overhead with curiousity.

She knew better than to enter the house through the front door. The hornet's nest she'd planted there had been completely sealed when she placed it there...but the second the door had been opened, the dislodged nest would have cracked from the impact of falling to the ground, unleashing the angry swarm of hornets inside.

Just a small finishing piece to her masterpiece.

Hinata walked further into the garden behind, trying not to allow herself to become too engrossed in the moss covered fountains that flowed amidst the well kept trees.

They were beautiful, really. In the dimming light of the sunset, there was something mystical and tantalising about the garden. Places like that- not incredibly strictly maintained, yet not primal enough to be dangerous- were hard to come by. It was beautiful, with a hint of wildness behind the creeping vines and rugged stones.

And it was ever so easy for Hinata to become lost in her own thoughts looking at it.

In that instant, it were as though she were alone in that garden. The rest of the world didn't exist. And just like that, her mind brought _him_ there, with her.

He, standing in front of her with the same heated gaze he'd given her last time they'd met.

He, holding her in his arms, his back against the old bark of a drooping willow with long, peaceful branches coccooning them in a bubble of peace .

She, holding his hand and with it his heart as they sat under the sunset.

She detached herself from her wistful thoughts, looking at the house behind her. She had a task at hand.

The back door to the house was wooden, and elegantly carved, the path leading up to it lined by rows of delicately kept rosebushes.

 _Well,_ she mused, Ino's _designs **were** heavily centered around flowers. The woman spent a lot of her time tending to flowers._

With one last longing look at the garden, she pried open the door and slipped inside.

She had already used the same door earlier that day, picking the old fashioned lock to get inside. That was when she'd let all her moths into the bathroom, coating the wall in a thin chemical attractant to keep them in place.

 _It was only supposed to be a little scare on the woman- to keep her quiet and make sure she didn't do anything more to injure Naruto's job._

When she'd heard Ino talk about scrapping the _Slice of Life_ cast, she'd been a little skeptic. The directress was flippant and changed her mind every two minutes with matters like that. But when Hinata heard Ino talking to her secretary about firing Naruto over telephone, she'd been unable to control her anger. Naruto didn't deserve to be betrayed like that by someone he considered a friend like Ino of all people, did he?

She'd planned to scare Ino out of any notion of firing Naruto. Whoever would have known that the girl was so badly insectophobic?

Hinata walked past the open bathroom door, stepping over one of the empty cages she'd left open for the tarantulae. They had been rigged in such a way that they'd open up and release the arachnids as soon as the bathroom door was opened.

 _It's a shame she ended up dying actually...she was one of the better ones._ Hinata thought to herself, not too remorseful, but not entirely apathetic.

Most of the moths had already flown out of the house into the garden behind. So had many of the hornets. But the tarantulae weren't as swift. Hinata noted one of them crawling over a portrait that decorated the wall.

Hinata moved through the house, past the office where many more moths now crawled around the box containing dead remains of two more tarantulas. She had laced her warning note with a chemical attractant that was practically a magnet for moths and other insects. True to that fact, Hinata saw the two remaining live tarantulae crawling around the same envelope.

Walking into what she knew would be the kitchen, Hinata took one last look into the corridor behind her.

 _It would have been so much easier, Ino, if you hadn't been afraid. Nobody would have had to die._ She thought to herself. But as soon as she remembered Ino's delighted look the other day while she spoke about firing Naruto, Hinata's fists curled up. _It's not as though your absense will be much missed...very soon Sasori and Deidara will be filling your shoes. They certainly have the talent for it._

An image flashed before her, the look of utter terror that had adorned Ino's face as she ran out of her house. With her hair in a frenzied halo around, and tears running down her cheeks, mixing with her makeup and leaving black marks on the painted pale skin, she had looked the perfect picture of disaster. Hinata felt a mix of guilty pleasure and disgusted remorse bubble up in her. But conflicting emotions wouldn't keep her from helping Naruto...

Hinata walked into the kitchen, her eyes zeroing in on the gas stove next to the window.

She smiled.

Walking up to the stack of papers that sat on the table, she brought out a small, red matchbox. One by one, the sheets of paper were engulfed in flames.

Hinata moved to the stove, opening the gas valves as the smell of gas filled the room.

By the time the gas had reached the flaming paper, the only trace of her left was a light hint of lavender in the air.

As Hinata walked out onto the street outside, a loud explosion resonated behind her.

And with it, all evidence tying her to the crime went up in flames.

* * *

 _In the midst of a fast paced city, between bustling streets and flocks of people, where everyone is busy but nobody has anything to do, where everyone is happy but has different sorrow, in the midst of the cacaphony of confusion that is the twenty first century, a small pocket of calm, green, silence, tucked away between the tall looming buildings, is where their story began._

 _It had been a sunny morning that day when they met. One, standing lost and isolated away from the throes of children. One, entirely new to the area, choosing to befriend the pink haired oddity instead of joining the pack of jaded, ostracising kids. And on that sunny morning they'd forged a bond as strong as blood._

 _Many years later it had been that same park on an autumn evening that saw their connection take an entirely new dynamic. As the blonde, sat idly on a rusted swing, spoke to her pink haired companion, who sat on the ground leaning back on her friend's knees, they watched the sun set for the last time in their school life._

 _The rosette had spoken, softly, "Ne, Ino? Every thing's going to change now, isn't it?"_

 _"It will" was her hushed reply, as she looked softly down at the head of long pink locks in front of her._

 _"The agency arranged an interview for me next Tuesday. They want me to start recording as soon as next week. It's all happening so fast... " Her voice wavered slightly- laced with small traces of fear and uncertainty._

 _"Don't worry. You'll be fine." she sighed, going on to say, "I start next week too. I won't lose to you." she reminded her teasingly, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. They weren't kids mooning over a boy any more. They didn't even like him then. But they were still competitive._

 _"Nor I to you." Sakura said, turning around with a soft smile._

 _"Ne, Sakura. Don't forget me. We're as good as blood - thicker than water any day. So don't forget me." Ino said tenderly, almost hesitant._

 _"Why would I ever?" Sakura spoke calmly into the silence which then settled between them. Silence in unknowing anticipation for what came next - as the blonde leaned closer and the rosette unconsciously pulled her face towards her. Their lips met in an explosion of temptations as they explored each other in ways they'd never expected. And like a dam breaking, it gave way to an entirely new flood of sensations and emotions which were in a way both intrusively alien yet intrinsically right._

 _And it had been ecstacy._

 _Somewhere along the line, in the years to come, they stopped seeing eye to eye. The rosette's sphere of life expanded to an extent Ino didn't like at all. And she herself gravitated more towards the temptation of fame - fame, wealth and the power it gave birth to. The line between right and wrong had blurred, and she stopped caring. Ino stopped seeing her._

 _And then, one by one, to her, blood diluted to water and then to nothing at all._

 _Ino had always taken the lead in their relation. In a sense, she always felt Sakura was not so much in love with her, but pitied her instead. Ino didn't care back then. As long as she was with her, she could make her happy, and make Sakura come to love her just as much as she was loved. That had been until she changed. Until that love was replaced with a dull apathy for everyone around her, and a pleasure in playing with her lives._

 _But when she finally did come to her senses, all she wanted was one more chance. A chance she would never have. A chance that had been taken away from her on death's doorstep. A chance to see the rosette who her heart had never truly gotten over. One more chance to say two more words;_

 ** _I'm sorry_**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hello  
**

 **Hasn't been much of a wait this time, has it? Loved reading the reviews this time- lots of ideas to play with, lots of nice feedback. Thanks to everyone who read, reviewed, or added me to their alerts and favourites.**

 **This chapter slows down a bit- lots of description; hope you guys like it.**

 **Enjoy.**

* * *

 _(You send me right to heaven),_  
 _Sweet serial killer,_  
 _(I guess I'll see him over)._  
 _I love you just a little too much,_  
 _Love you just a little too much, much._

 _~Lana_

* * *

The winter's first flakes of snow graced the cemetery that day as a congregation of darkly clad figures gathered for a funeral service. It was a private affair; though the media had tried its hardest to cover the occasion, their efforts were shut down without question.

Renowned fashion and film director Ino Yamanaka was pronounced dead as of 7.42 pm, 14th December. Cause of death: road accident. Injuries: Multiple fractures and lacerations; internal organs crushed. Death on impact.

The events leading to her death were attributed to severe mental instability; she had left her house in a maddened frenzy, leaving her stove blazing, and driving with no heed to traffic rules, or with any apparent destination in mind. Any other evidence pointing towards the death being anything more than an accident was burned in the ensuing explosion. And so, the case was filed away as a simple accident; the body buried on a cold Sunday morning, where the snow decided to descend upon the city for the first time that winter, cloaking the graveyard in white.

Among those present at the funeral service were a few family friends, childhood acquaintances, and allies in the professional world.

As the onlookers slowly left, the service having come to a close, Naruto had a chance to more closely look at the few who remained. He, of course, was staying behind for his sister. Though Sakura had long moved on from her blonde friend, and had somewhat regretfully accepted that their friendship had reduced to a few curt exchanges once every few years, she was still heavily grieving at the news of Ino's death. And why wouldn't she? Ino had been there for here when even Naruto had failed to help her- brought out both the best and worst in her, and accepted both. Even though Sakura would never fully reciprocate Ino's former feelings, she loved the blonde in other ways. Ways immeasurable. The news of the accident- delivered to her by a grieving friend had shaken her thoroughly. It would take her more than a simple funeral service to shake her grief.

Looking on at his rose haired sister, who now sat on her knees in front of the dark marble tombstone, he frowned. Ino's death had hurt him, but worry for the toll it had taken on Sakura hurt him more.

He moved to comfort her, but was stopped by a hand on his shoulder. The look in Sasuke's eyes, when Naruto turned around questioningly, was a silent plead. Naruto knew him well enough to know those dark clouded eyes which stopped Naruto from going to his sister merely said, 'let me'.

And so, Naruto watched his best friend walk up to his sister, brushing the snow off the thin black material of her dress and draping his jacket over her shoulder. They spoke too quietly for him to hear, but he watched as Sasuke stood behind a kneeling Sakura , a hand resting gently on her shoulder.

Naruto sighed- not just for his sister, but his friend too. Looking away, he took note of the few others who were still standing, lingering in the cemetery for a small while longer. Shikamaru Nara and Choji Akimichi, friends of Naruto who were once upon a time close to the Yamanaka to, stood to one side, talking in low voices. He considered talking to them but decided against it, leaving them to their anguish for the moment. A dark cloaked, pale skinned figure stood near the gate of the cemetery, looking in the direction of Sasuke and Sakura. Naruto could not recognise the person, whose face was out of his line of sight, and was about to move closer to talk to him when he saw yet another group of people still within the cemetery.

Rather, what caught his attention was a sliver of midnight dark hair.

Hair that had haunted his dreams since the last time they'd met.

Sure enough, the slender figure of Hinata Hyuga, swathed in a simple black dress and a thick trench coat, stood in front of a grave not too far away from where he was. He was about to approach her when he noted that she was not alone. Beside her stood a tall man with long brown hair, his back turned to Naruto. A third person, a woman with jet black hair, stood beside him.

Had they been here for the funeral? Hinata's professional connection to Ino _was_ pretty strong, or so it seemed, so it was quite logical that Hinata would attend her funeral. A part of him chided himself for not having expected her to be there earlier.

 _Who was that man with her?_ _A lover?_ He thought to himself, jealousy unconsciously rooting in the corner of his mind. _Surely not._ Hinata wasn't in any existing relationship as far as he was aware. Then again, how much did he actually know?

Though his eyes were fixed on her the entire time, his inner musings had rendered him unable to register the light footsteps that crunched up to him.

"Naruto?"

Her soft, silvery voice was what made him aware of the fact that she had walked right up to him; had taken the initiative to greet him. For a moment, embarrassment overcame him as he recalled the last time they had been in such close proximity. He still didn't know exactly how she felt regarding that- was she resentful?...or something else?

He locked eyes with her, frozen in the moment as he found himself transfixed by her silvery doe shaped eyes. They shimmered in the light- a kaleidoscope of shining colours, paled to the point they looked like twin diamonds set in her skull. Those eyes- expressive yet mysterious, aloof yet kind, warm yet distantly icy- they perplexed him. Intrigued him. Made him want to peel off the layers she built around her, one by one, to find out what made her so damn irresistible.

"Hinata. What brings you here today? The funeral?" he asked.

"Yes. Ino was kinder to me than what one would expect in our line of profession. It was only natural I pay my respects. And you?"

"Ino was close to my sister years ago. I guess you could say she's a childhood acquaintance. Though they haven't properly spoken in years, Sakura is quite upset over the news of her passing."

"We all are." She added, turning to look at where Sakura knelt, Sasuke now crouching beside her and coaxing her to her feet.

"The service finished almost half an hour ago. You're still here?" he asked, not wanting the conversation to dull just yet. Her voice soothed him. He unconsciously found himself getting lost in its sound, forgetting all troubles and pain the last few days had caused as he recalled how elusive his name had sounded on her tongue.

"Neji and I decided to stay a little longer- his father is buried here as well." She replied.

Once again, Naruto felt a slight burn of jealousy as he thought of the other man she had mentioned, and what their relation could be.

"Neji?" he asked, trying not to let a jealous edge slip into his tone.

"My cousin." She replied, a mischievous smile playing on her lips.

He relaxed inwardly, though there was no visible change.

"I guess it's been too much loss for us these last few days. First with Kin, Suigetsu, and then Karin's arrest... now this." He said, feeling a weight settle over him. Words lost him as he struggled to express the immense fear he felt. For the people he cared for. Fear that he'll face more loss, again. Just like before.

He felt a slender hand rest on his forearm. "You still have your friends- the ones that _really_ matter; and your best friend, and your sister. You're not about to lose everything again." Gentle and soft, yet firm and solid, he felt her delicate fingers. Her words rang true- reassuring him. As though she knew exactly what to say to comfort him. He almost missed the implications of the last word she said. When it registered in his thoughts, he turned sharply to look at her.

"'Again'? How did you-"

He hadn't told her. Only Sakura and Sasuke knew. Knew that his parents had been murdered in front of him as an infant, and he lost everything he thought he had for the first time. He panicked slightly- how would she know?

"Know?" she said, softly completing his question. The look in her eyes reassured him, relaxed him as he realised that his panic was unfounded. Even if she knew, she couldn't mean any harm with it.

"Lets just say I tend to find out things about people I'm interested in" she finished with an almost impish smile.

He felt his face stretch into yet another seductive smirk as he realised she was flirting with him. "Interested? Interested in what, exactly?" he pushed, wanting to hear the words rolling off her tongue, leaning closer to her as he spoke.

She took a step closer to him closing the distance between them. For a moment, the sudden proximity of her face made him close his eyes in anticipation- half wishing he could ravish those lips of hers in a proper kiss.

He felt the whisper of her lips against his ear as she said, "If you want to know..."

She moved off the tips of her toes, until her breath tickled his neck just below his ear, "...You'll have to find out the hard way. Kosai gardens. 6 pm. This Saturday."

He felt the tease of a slight butterfly kiss against his neck, before she disappeared. Even the feel of her body pressed against him receded.

Reluctantly, he opened his eyes, finding her once again standing with her cousin, their group leaving the cemetery.

And then she was gone.

* * *

"Your previous director was trying to... let's just say she was trying to play you all for fools." He spoke in a slithery, almost unpleasant voice as he introduced himself to the entire cast of his newly assigned project, _Slice of Life_.

There had only been one reason why he had accepted the offer in the first place- said reason was currently at the front of the crew, blonde hair looking almost bleached in the studio lights.

The actor, Naruto Uzumaki, was the first to speak. "What do you mean, 'play us for fools'? You can't just dishonour the dead like that."- there was an angry edge to his voice.

"Why shouldn't I, when she planned to have you all thrown out and replaced in this produciton?If she had still been alive, today would have been your last working day." he said, in a low hiss, laughing slightly. "But, unfortunately, she is _dead_. I have no intention to change this cast any time soon- it appears to me, to have, _lots of potential."_

The looks of surprise, shock or even anger which spread throughout the room at his words was more than expected, but still he took pleasure in it. With a swift movement, sweeping his long black hair out of his face, he walked closer to the blonde, before saying, "Well, as of today, _I_ direct this production. And so, everyone may now get to work. We begin shooting in fifteen"

The crowd that had gathered dispersed, and reptilian yellow eyes followed the Uzumaki back to his dressing room, before his own footsteps followed suit.

Lightly knocking at the door and entering before recieving any response, he was greeted by the sight of a hair stylist attending the finishing touches of the blonde's messy hair.

"Is there something you need, sir?" the stylist asked.

With a dismissive wave he said, "I'd like to speak to Mr Uzumaki in private once before we begin work for the day, if that's not a problem with him."

Turning around, said man spoke. "No there's no problem." turning to the stylist he added a small thanks before telling them to leave.

As soon as the door closed, he spoke. "What's a skilled actor such as yourself doing in a small scale television drama like this, I wonder?"

"The leading televised drama series is hardly a small scale production, I'd have thought." the blonde said with a smirk.

"It is, compared to leading blockbusters in the film industry." he said, leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed.

"Maybe I'm not as 'skilled' as you suggest." he quipped.

"Or maybe...you're just waiting for a chance to turn this into a stepping stone to higher achievment." He drawled, looking pointedly into cerulean eyes.

Naruto frowned, saying, "You're not exactly in a position to say-"

Pale, long fingers held out a small, dark business card, beckoning the blonde to take it. Hesitantly, the young Uzumaki grasped the card and looked at it curiously.

"I know directors who are more than interested in hiring you for more cutting edge productions. I could help you make the right connections." he turned around, opening the door once again, his hand resting on the door knob. "Consider my offer."

And with that, he left the room, leaving Naruto looking at the dark wooden frame, his eyes dropping down to the card in his hand. Written on it, in an elegant silver script, read the director's name.

 _Mr Orochimaru Koibito  
_

* * *

She was dressed in black this time.

Another creation of those two debutante designers- this time, for a Vogue cover of their upcoming fashion show- one which supposed to have been a production of their late directrice, Ino- but would now serve as a debut show for Sasori and Deidara.

The dark silky material of the sleeveless gown trailed far behind her, parted at the front to give way to her creamy, long slender legs, which were adorned by high, over the knee boots of a similar dark material. The colour could have easily passed for black, but shimmered in the light as a chaotic fusion of the darkest of indigos, deep navies, and murky reds. It caught the light like a kaleidoscope of dark shades woven together in a rich, dark blend. Luminsecent, bright embroidery cinched the dress at the waist, and travelled upwards over the side of her bodice to the upper neckline, like the arms of a tree branching upwards, and downward along the edge of the dress. Her boots, made of a similar material, were reinforced by the same embroidery, which circled her calves and crisscrossed over her legs. A pitch black fur shawl, dusted in silver, glinting in the light, adorned her arm and shoulder on one side, leaving the other shoulder bare to be bedecked with the heavy jewelrey her designers had adorned her with.

Her hair was piled over her head in a classic, regal updo, and her makeup shadowed her eyes, adding to their depth, accentuated her aristocratic, high cheekbones, and covered her lips in a deep cherry wine.

The theme of the photoshoot, they said, was Extraterrestrial Royalty- a slight deviation from the predominant theme 'Eternity', but still stunning nonetheless.

The room was pitch black with the exception of the soft glow which illuminated her. The hissing of dry ice meeting water filled the studio, as the mist wafted through the air, catching the light and enveloping her in a gentle halo of radiance.

Hinata posed, pressing her front against the large black box- a few feet taller than her- that had been brought into the room for her to lean against. One arm gently grasping the top of the box, her face tilted sideways, looking haughtily down at the camera.

 _Snap._

The sound of the camera marked the start of the photoshoot.

 _Snap_.

She shifted through multiple poses, some including the carved, silver capped, wooden staff that they had brought in as a prop.

 _Snap._

There, shrouded in darkness, illuminated by the mist, she was magical.

They finished her individual shots, and moved on to her partner's individual session. Large scale sessions such as these meant that her partner was, as usual, the silent brooding Uchiha. Sasuke's attire included a light velvet blazer, with embroidery similar to her own, except in a darker hue. The colour of the blazer itself was indiscernable- it could have been silver, cream, light blue, gray, platinum, or even off white- the material shimmered in the light like a combination of all colours in one, light, union. Beneath, he wore a pitch black shirt, and a silvery tie. His trousers, a material similar to that of her dress, were cut off beneath the knees by boots, in a colour and pattern similar to his blazer. His hair, more often than not a spiky mess, was combed back for a change, tied at the nape of his neck.

He quickly swept through his individual shoot, before moving on to their group shots.

A fresh block of dry ice was added to the water, followed by more hissing, and the mist enveloping the two of them in a thick, almost distorted coccoon.

Sasuke stood behind Hinata, her back pressed against his chest as he held one of her arms upward, his nose touching her neck. Her other arm reached out to touch the back of his neck as she held it there, waiting for the photographer to set up his apparatus.

"The tabloids make us out to be such philanderers, don't they?" she whispered as the camera sounded.

 _Snap._

She shifted so that her she faced him, her arm still around his shoulder, and the other pressed against his chest while they both looked in opposite directions, her gaze directly looking into the lens of the camera.

He responded to her question with a muffled whisper, "We both know they're not true."

 _Snap._

He moved her so that she looked over his shoulder, her arms crossed behind his back, her silvery eyes boring into the photgrapher's lens.

"True. But the media treats us like we're objects. We have feelings too."

 _Snap._

He pulled her back to the elevated throne that had been set up, sitting down on it as she sank gracefully to the floor in front of it, her back between his legs, her head resting on his knee. His head cocked to the side, resting on a knuckle as he leaned on the chair's arm, his other hand reaching down to clasp her fingers.

"How does it feel?" she asked, her voice still a smooth whisper, "How does it feel to have loved someone for all this time...and still have her oblivious to what you feel?"

 _Snap._

She felt him stiffen behind her, and she squeezed his hand in gentle reassurance, before standing up, moving behind his chair and placing her hand on his shoulder. His hand moved up to grasp hers as she had her staff brought in and held it in her other hand, watching the lighting adjust slightly to catch the mist in a different angle.

"You could answer that question yourself, don't you agree?" he replied to her question.

 _Snap._

He pulled her closer, his head leaning against her arm as she sat, one leg over the other, on the arm of the chair.

"We can only watch them, hoping some day they'll notice." she said softly.

 _Snap_

"And that's a wrap! We'll take a fifteen minute break and switch costumes afterwards!" came the loud, impatient voice of their designer- Deidara.

The studio was once again flooded with light as Hinata stood up, turning around to face a now standing Sasuke.

"Naruto, Sakura and I were going to check out a new art exhibition that's opened up around town, before spending the day together Wednesday afternoon. Perhaps you'd want to join us?" he said, offering her a chance to spend time with the object of her affections.

She smiled. "It would be a pleasure."

Sasuke might as well turn out to be a treasured friend afterall. As they parted ways to prepare for the next round of shooting, she added a small "Thank you" over her shoulder.

* * *

The canvas was nearly as big as her entire dining table. It hung on the wall in front of her, as she stood in the hall dedicated to her best works.

This particular photograph, enlarged to the canvas in front of her, was never published.

 _The picture was covered in a bed of dark roses, arranged in concentric circles, the light catching their petals accentuating their depth. Several dark obelisks and arches rose from amidst their petals, rose vines spiralling around them, climbing out of the sea of petals beneath. In the center of the canvas, which was the focus of the photograph, sat two women, back to back._

 _One had light, washed out blonde hair. Her hair, delicately styled in curls and swept over one shoulder, with one lock shadowing sapphire blue eyes. Her dress, its neckline a one shouldered sash, was a deep, royal blue, which cascaded into the roses around it, puffing at the waist before spreading out into a halo of the aristocratic colour. The dress was covered in a myriad of roses, stained with the same blue colour, from the sash of the shoulder to the point where the fabric became hidden by the surrounding black flowers. She sat with one knee close to her chest, the other hidden behind the fabric of the dress which fanned out in a circle around her. One hand rested lightly on her knee, the other outstretched with a cherry red apple resting on her palm._

 _Nestled on the petals of the blue dress, behind the blonde, sat a midnight dark haired woman. Her dress was a two piece, pale lilac, chiffon. It wrapped around her upper bodice, flowing out in scarf- like sleeves. Her stomach bare and covered in pale, spirals of body art, and her lower body covered in a body hugging wrap, slit at the left thigh, revealing the pale skin of her thigh, further covered in more body art. The same art covered her collarbones, along her neck and covering half of her face, ending in a spiral over her left eye. She sat, left leg folded to the side, other leg beneath her, as she arched her back. One hand reached back to bury itself in blonde hair, and the other gently held the blonde's shoulder. Her dark hair flowed like a waterfall down her back, part of it shadowing her shoulder. Her forehead pressed against the blonde's shoulder, her entire body flexing into a u shaped ark, sharpened canines gently pressing against the supple flesh of the blonde's neck. A trickle ruby red liquor trailed down the blonde's neck from the point of contact, and a similar colour coated the other woman's neck._

The theme of that photoshoot had been a Vampire Garden. It had been Ino Yamanaka's debut in the world of Haute Couture. It had also been her first time working with Hinata. Perhaps, back then, Ino had been more interested in her designing, and less in her success.

Seeing the picture reminded Hinata of Ino's warm smile of greeting, a hand extended in greeting, which turned into a kind hug.

 _Hi. I'm Ino. Ino Yamanaka. Something tells me we're going to be working together a helluva lot from now!_

She sank to her knees, shaking.

Ino was dead.

 _"You look really good in purple! You should soooo totally make it your signature colour! Then again, you look good in everything, you're so pretty! It's so fun to design for you!"_

Ino was _dead_.

 _"I can't believe they're not letting you take on any new jobs! It's like they're forcefully tying you further to their company! Don't worry- as long as I'm designing you'll always have somewhere to model for."  
_

Ino Yamanaka was dead.

 _"You're officially the highest ranking supermodel in the country! The continent, even! You know what's next, right? Milan! Fashion central! And that's where I'm headed too! I'm so happy for you!"_

Ino - Yamanaka - Was - Dead.

Everything she had ever said, most of it was just words. But somewhere along the line, she had been Hinata's friend, hadn't she?

It wasn't just Ino either. Suigetsu Hozuki, Kin Tsuchi, Zaku Abumi... All of them were _dead._

 _Ino Yamanaka was dead. And she, Hinata Hyuga had killed them all_.

* * *

When Neji finally opened the door to the apartment he shared with his cousin, it was almost midnight. He had expected Hinata to be either asleep or in her newly acquired flat on the other side of town. What he hadn't expected was a seemingly empty apartment- with all the lights on.

Slipping out of his coat, he walked tentatively through the cold silence that echoed through the flat.

A small, strangled sob gave him all the sign he needed as to where she was. He walked on to the large studio room, the one they had set aside for the gifts she often received from her photographers and directors. The sobbing grew louder as he approached the door.

The mahogany door was slightly ajar, Neji's hand momentarily rested lightly on the metal doorknob, hesitant for a moment, before he pushed it open.

The door creaked slightly as it opened, but not enough to distract her.

When Neji walked inside, he was met with the sight of Hinata, curled on the floor, shuddering and sobbing hysterically as she lay on her side, in front of one of her first ever photoshoot with Ino.

Concern marred his feature as he walked closer to her. She had foregone warmer clothing in lieu of a thin, flimsy shirt and denim shorts- this, in the middle of the snowy weather, was no doubt the reason for her violent shivering. At first he thought she was on another cocaine induced high, but as he crouched down, and slowly lifted her, turning her face to look in her eyes, he saw no traces of dilated pupils, no signs of her having taken the drug.

She shivered, still sobbing, murmuring incoherently, as he brought her into her bedroom, laying her under the thick covers and smoothing the hair off her damp face.

As he turned to leave, she sat up fiercely, grasping onto his sleeve. Her voice choked, she stuttered as she spoke, "P-please...don't leave."

He looked back at her, obviously worried. Hinata had her shortcomings and weak points- but he would always stand by her. All he ever wanted was the best for his cousin. After all, there was once a time when she was the only one to save him from her family. Now, they were both outcasts to the Hyuga empire. But now, it didn't matter either.

He sat down on the edge of her bed, wiping the tear stains from one eye as he asked, "What's wrong, Hinata?"

She blinked several times, before she once again started sobbing, shuddering.

"Hinata?" he tried again.

This time she almost screamed.

"They're dead! She's...s-she's _dead_...they're gone.." she sobbed hysterically.

He understood almost immediately what she was talking about- the recent deaths and murders. He understood at least that Ino's death had shaken her.

Putting a gentle hand on her back as he drew her closer, he spoke. "It's okay. Don't cry. I'm here."

She sobbed more, moving away from him in a frenzy as she screamed, " _I_ killed them! I killed all of them! And now they're _dead_ \- because of me!"

She stared at him in shock, before slumping over into his chest, tears soaking his shirt. Quickly getting over the shock of the sudden physical contact, he brought a hand to her head, patting it soothingly. Her words surprised him; but she would explain them. After all, no matter what they actually meant, it wouldn't change much.

After she had finally calmed down, and pulled away from him, he brought her a glass of water, letting her wrap up in a warm blanket.

And then, she sat him down at the foot of her bed, and told him _everything_.

* * *

 **Liked it? Hope so.**

 **I've got my own ideas, but I want to hear your take on this. What kind of role do you see Orochimaru playing in this story?And what did you think of that family bonding scene at the end?**

 **Don't forget to drop a review.**

 **~Raven**


	10. Chapter 10

**Well , hasn't been too long has it? Who am I kidding, _two months_ . Sorry? **

**Hope the wait was worth it is all I can say?**

 **Thoughts, suggestions, compliments and criticism, everything's welcome. I thrive off your reviews, thanks so much!**

 **~Raven**

* * *

 _My black fire's_

 _Burning Bright_

 _Maybe we'll go out tonight_

 _We could paint the town in blue_

 _~Lana_

* * *

Everything in that lone, empty studio, reminded him of _her_.

Reminded him of the platinum blond hair and cerulean blue eyes that brought colour to the monochromatic greyscale of his life.

Every window, every table, every stool, every camera.

Mostly, every canvas.

Of course they would- each one was a picture of her after all.

Some candid shots, some carefully posed, and some reflections of his artwork.

She was his exclusively.

At least, her body was.

They used to sink into a routine. She would visit his studio in her free time. He would spend hours carving his designs into her bare, creamy skin, with his temporary ink, and then she would pose for him, as his camera captured his work. She was a model to the two spheres of his profession- photography and body art. He would take regular photos too, many of them catching her unaware. She used to inspect his work, standing there in front of a full body mirror, exposed and clad in only his artwork. She would turn to him, whispering seductive compliments as her slender fingers slipped under his shirt, disrobing him as they would drown in a guilty pleasure only the other could induce. And by the time he woke, she was always long gone.

Guilty pleasure; for she only used him as a means to forget. Forget the love she could not have.

And he? His being with her was torture in itself. A reminder that the one he loved would forever be so close, yet would never love him back.

The artwork that marked the last five years of his life was swiftly transferred out of the dimly lit studio, to the gallery where his work would for the first time be bared to the world. People would remember him as a photographer and a tattoo artist; with no more than three letters to his name.

But he would remember himself through her.

* * *

Small, delicate petals curled around a central frilly, folded bud. Blade like leaves circled and wrapped around the iris, spiraling out into a network of leaves, stems and dark spirals over the smooth, creamy expanse of an uncovered back. The stem dipped as far as a well sculpted, thin waist, and the leaves spanned the even expanse of well defined shoulder blades. Long, light hair, pulled into a high ponytail would have cascaded down her back, had it not been for the hand sweeping them over the right clavicle. Light skin contrasted against the dark sheets which spread over the surface she lay on. A lone, expressive eye, frozen in the picture, peered from the side of a skull tilted to the side so as to look slantingly into the eye of the observer, out of the confines of the four walled frame. The picture was colourless, its palette a monochrome of the shades of grey. Its main focus, the detailed body art which spiraled over the woman's back, was framed and mounted on the canvas in front of them.

To everyone else, it looked like what it was. A picture of body art on its canvas.

Two men stood in front of that particular picture, the former with light blonde hair and cerulean eyes, the latter dark haired, standing stoically with his arms folded.

Midnight dark hair and silvery eyes marked the woman who stood behind them.

"I still don't get it. Is it a flower or a person? Sasuke?"

"Idiot." The dark haired man muttered.

"I mean, it's a flower on a person but why not make a picture of a flower and a picture of a person? Why not separately?" The blonde said, frowning at the picture.

"Maybe you should think of it as the flowers symbolizing the beauty of the person? They bring out the best in each other?" a third, gentle voice joined the conversation as Hinata stifled a laugh on seeing Naruto's puzzled expression, a rouge blush dusting her cheeks, the colour several shades lighter than the maroon cords that adorned her legs, tucking into knee high sleek black boots.

They had slipped into a comfortable dynamic as they explored the gallery, neither of them bringing up mention of their last encounter at the cemetery, atleast they hadn't yet- not while they were surrounded by people.

Footsteps approaching announced the return of the fourth and final member of their group, accompanied by a fifth person, their host.

A tall, pale, dark haired photographer more commonly known for being a tattoo artist, Sai was responsible for the inked fox on Naruto's back. More than that, he was a well acquainted friend. As he walked towards them, a pink haired woman to his right, his gloomy disposition masked itself with an almost fake smile, his eyes showing not a telltale of the shadow of sadness behind them. Those who knew him well would see through it nonetheless; though they were still unaware of the reason that lay behind it.

The footsteps drew closer, their voices growing louder as their conversation became audible.

"You could have told us you were planning this sooner, Sai. You know we would have helped you…" Sakura said, trailing off as her eyes locked onto the painting infront of them, suppressing a small gasp as she examined it.

Her reaction was masked by Naruto's loud exclamation as he saw Sai and strode over to pull said man into a hug, before releasing him and saying, "We haven't heard from you in ages, Sai. Where've you been?"

Not giving the other man a chance to answer, Naruto pulled him closer to where they were standing previously, ebullient as he spoke, "You must know Hinata, right? Sai, this is Hinata Hyuga, the super model. She's our friend- we invited her to come with us."

Stopping in front of the dark haired woman, who was smirking amusedly, her silvery eyes trained on the blonde. Shifting her gaze, she looked properly at the man to whom she was being introduced, smiling politely as she recognized him.

Naruto went on to say, "Hinata, this is-"

"Sai. The photographer. Host of this wonderful exhibition, I take it?" She interrupted, extending a hand in greeting as she shook the pale hand that met hers. "It's a pleasure to meet you again." She added, speaking this time to Sai directly.

"The pleasure is mine." The sickly pale man replied, pulling his hand away and smiling in greeting.

"You know each other?" was Naruto's surprised reponse.

"Not personally. Yes, we've met before. A photoshoot several years ago." She replied, turning her attention back to Naruto.

"Whoa! Guess that's a world class supermodel for you! Sai's been our friend for a long time- he's the one who gave me my tattoo!"

She already knew what tattoo he spoke of. But Naruto didn't know that she knew. "A tattoo?" she asked, feigning surprise.

"Yeah! It's a fox, a really cool one. Big too. On my back. A fox- like my pet." He said, sinking into an animated explanation of his love of animals, his attention focused solely on Hinata, who was attentively listening to him, a smile curling her lips.

Sai turned to notice the hushed conversation enfolding between the woman who had walked with him till there, and the man who had approached her.

Sakura's expression was distraught as she spoke in a low monotone to Sasuke, who looked at the frame on the wall once again, this time in disbelief.

"Is something the matter, Sakura?" Sai asked softly, concern lacing his voice as he appeared behind Sasuke.

"Who was your model?" Sasuke asked curtly, answering before Sakura could shake her head.

"…A friend" He replied hesitantly, reluctant to say too much.

"Someone we know?" Sasuke pressed, somewhat sharply.

"It was Ino."

Sakura's voice had answered the question directed at Sai.

"It was Ino. Greyscale or not I'd recognize her." She took a step towards Sai, her emerald eyes piercing him, this time not concealing the pain which lay beneath them. "But you would too, wouldn't you, Sai? What was she to you?"

Sai's façade of normality slipped as his face crumbled into a forlorn look of anguish, his dark expressionless eyes windows to the pain he'd been accumulating. He hadn't expected himself to answer the rosette's question. He had expected to brush it off like he had every other time.

But something hypnotic about her eyes, eyes which commanded him not to lie to her, prompted him to act otherwise. His voice a hoarse whisper, his strangulated reply was, "Everything."

* * *

Naruto peered out of the corner of his eye at the woman who stood next to him now looking at the photograph in front of them with mild interest, her thoughts evidently elsewhere. They had found themselves separated from Sasuke, Sakura and Sai for more than a while now, but as much as he was worried for Sakura, and eager to give Sasuke a push in the right direction to bring the two closer, Naruto for the life of him couldn't bring himself to care that he hadn't seen heads or tails of them for an hour now. He was far too much enjoying the company of the elusive goddess with silvery eyes and midnight dark hair whom he had finally caught hold of for long enough for them to enjoy each other's company- though the memory of their last interaction at the cemetery still tormented him.

For the last hour, people had been steadily streaming into the exhibit, and the crowd had increased significantly- Sai's debut as an independent photographer would most certainly be recorded as a success. But the crowd made it much harder to enjoy the comfortable silence between he and Hinata; a fact which much annoyed him.

Finally deciding on a more bold course of action, he closed the distance between them, walking past her from behind, grabbing onto her hand and tugging her along in the process. He heard her soft, feminine gasp of surprise which was quickly replaced by a confused question, the hurried steps as she regained her balance and allowed herself to be led away by him, and the feel of her magnetizing eyes on his back.

Pulling her to a corner of the room, where the wall jutted out around them masking them from view, with only the door to a storage closet on the wall next to them, he twirled her around to face him, and moved closer till her back was pressed against the wall behind her, his own arm placed next to her head, supporting the majority of his weight as he leaned closer to her, his face soon inches from hers.

His voice a husky undertone, he asked, "Are you going to answer my question, Hinata?"

She turned her face away from his, giving his eyes a chance to trace the outline of her soft, yet well defined jawline, and the regal arch of her high cheekbones. The corner of her mouth tilting upward in a knowing smirk, she whispered, "What question, Naruto?"

"You know what I'm talking about." he said smugly, his hand reaching up to gently grasp her chin, and tilt her face towards her. His cerulean eyes peered into her pale silvery ones, hypnotically drawing him in, inviting him to delve deeper into the mystery she painted.

She never replied, instead moving her hands up to rest on the flat sturdy expanse of his chest, one hand resting there, and the other sliding up to cup the nape of his neck, pulling him closer and moving closer herself till their noses touched, their lips millimeters apart.

Instinctively, he found himself closing whatever distance remained, as his lips slanted over hers in a fast, hungrily desperate moment of ecstasy. Their lips locked, his hands found their way to her hips and her hair, one hand playing with silky long strands while the other wrapped possessively around her waist. Her own hands rose to play with his hair, her other hand wrapping around his neck as she pulled him closer.

Losing her balance as she swayed into his touch, she found herself being pushed further against the wall, her legs inadvertently rising to wrap around his waist as her feet slipped out of their boots which lay discarded on the floor, lest their sharp heels would have dug painfully into his back. She fought back a louder moan as his mouth left hers and moved to leave a trail of hot, sensual kisses along the column of her neck, and the bare expanse of her collarbone left exposed by her open necked sweater.

Lost in pleasure, her racing thoughts at the reality of what was happening overshadowed by pure ecstasy as the object of her intense affections was finally _hers_ for the taking, she missed the delighted squeal of excitement which was followed by an effeminate exclamation, "Naruto! Where've you been I heard you were in town I've been looking for you everywhere-"

The foreign hand which clasped on his shoulder before jolting back in surprise having realised that he was currently otherwise engaged with company, belonged to a woman with sandy blonde hair tied up in twin buns. Her wraparound coat a deep black, lined with red velvet hems, she stood next to the still entangled couple, only just realising the position they were in.

"I'm so, _so_ sorry I didn't mean to interrupt I didn't realise you were...umm, yeah I'll just go now..."

Abruptly, yet rather reluctantly, he pulled away from their entangled position, careful to set Hinata firmly on the ground and wrap an arm possessively around her waist as he turned to face the newcomer. "I didn't hear you were back in town, Temari. This is Hinata. Hinata, meet Temari,"

Hinata who had till then been glaring pointedly at the stranger who'd interrupted them, now turned to fix Naruto with a questioning glance.

"Temari is an old friend. I've worked with her in the filming industry before." Naruto supplied, though given the blonde woman's expression, a mixture of hurt and longing, Hinata figured they had once been more than just 'old friends'.

A smile gracing her lips, she looked at the newly introduced woman and said, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Temari."

The smile never reached her silvery eyes.

* * *

"I loved Ino. Just...not the way she wanted me to. She'd gotten over it, I thought."

Sakura stood next to Sai as she spoke, both standing in front of yet another photograph of the woman who's death they both mourned- this picture a candid, the blonde's pensive face looking forlornly out of a studio window, with wispy white curtains billowing around her, caught in the wind which pushed the hair out of her face, the image immortalised in greyscale. With the crowd inside steadily increasing, the two of them had been separated from the rest for well over an hour by then. She had since then learned that Sai had been Ino's lover. A lover who never loved him back like he wanted her to, because she was still in love with her pink haired best friend.

"She could never get over you." he said, looking fondly at the picture of her late best friend on the canvas.

"And so she could never return your feelings...you must blame me for what happened." She listened, almost hesitantly unwilling to hear his reply, looking down at the rugged carpet between her brown leather ankle boots.

"I don't blame you." he said, surprising her, jolting her head to look up at his towering figure.

With small, pained smile he finished, "It's not what she would have wanted."

Suddenly the large, spacious hall seemed too small in that moment as the extent to which Sai had cared for Ino truly sunk in. Looking down again, she brought her hands up to cradle her arms, her hair falling in a curtain around the sides of her face.

"I'll see you around, then." she heard him say, as the sound of his footsteps gradually receded into the low din which had settled in the gallery.

So the one who had stood between Ino and Sai getting the love they both deserved had been _her_. She was the one who had taken away their happiness. And in the process also robbed herself and Ino of the best friends they so dearly wanted. And now? Ino was dead, Sai alone, and she in mourning.

She hadn't realised when she started shivering, nor had she realised that tears now streamed down her cheeks, until she felt their cold wet drops landing on her outer knuckles as they clutched her upper arms. Even if she had realised, she couldn't bring herself to care about them. And so she stood immobile, in front of the canvas which held the picture of the girl she'd loved as a sister- and the woman who'd loved her back as more- with nobody to see or stop her tears.

Unknown to her was the tall brooding figure who stood leaning against the wall several meters behind her. His eyes fixed solely on Sakura, Sasuke watched as she spoke to Sai looking up at the colourless canvas with longing and anguish. He watched as Sai surprised her with words inaudible to him. He watched as Sai walked away, leaving Sakura alone as she shut out the world around her, and as she cried in her misery.

Sakura was still in love with Ino- that could be the only logical explanation to her reaction in that moment. How else would you explain her agony over the death of someone she hadn't spoken to on civil terms in years?

She was still in love with a dead woman. And Sasuke himself was still unrequitedly, pointlessly, hopelessly in love with Sakura.

And there was nothing he could do but watch, as she tore herself up over the death of a woman who could just as well have counted as a ghost from her past. He could do nothing to ease her pain but pathetically watch from the sidelines as she cried her heart out in a room full of people who neither noticed nor cared. Nothing he could say, no consolation he could offer. And watching the woman he had loved since childhood mourn the death of her former lover and best friend, he had never felt more utterly useless.

And much as he resolved never to let anything hurt the delicate rosette like that ever again, as much as he resolved never to let himself feel like that in her wake again, he had no idea how to stop her tears.

His thoughts were broken by a small nudge to his shoulder, as he turned around, startled, to face the dark hair and pale face of his near lookalike, Sai, his face a frown, his lips set in a thin line.

Looking down he saw a wad of tissue in the hand that had nudged him, being offered to him. Somewhat surprised, he took the tissue and watched the shorter man tilt his head in the direction of the rosette who stood crying on the other side of the room.

"She needs you." he murmured, as he walked away.

Somewhat hesitantly, Sasuke paid heed to his words, crossing the room in a few quick strides, and placing a tentative hand on her shoulder, gently turning her to face him, and leaning over to whisper into her ear, "Are you okay? Take these."

He placed the tissues in her hand, and placed a hand on her chin, tilting it upward to look him in the eye. Momentarily discouraged by the look of surprise he found between the strands of hair that covered her eyes, he almost pulled away, before she surprised him with her reaction.

As though his presence had broken a damn, throwing her arms around his neck, she buried her face in his chest, crying even harder than before. Instinctively, his own arms rose to cradle her frame, rubbing slow, soothing circles on the expanse of her back, and whispering calming words. He felt her wet tears seep into his shirt, but couldn't bring himself to care. As long as he was with her.

They stood in each others' warm embrace as he cradled her tears and she mourned her losses.

* * *

"Welcome back, Hinata. It's good to see you're keeping time out of your busy schedule to keep up with your appointments." The busty blonde doctor looked up at the dark haired supermodel as she sat down in a comfortable chair on the other side of her desk.

"It's nice to see you again, Dr Tsunade." she said with a dazzling, likeable smile which had won the good doctor over on their first appointment that early Monday morning following her breakdown of sorts witnessed only by her cousin, Neji.

"Tea or coffee?" Tsunade asked, pushing a tray towards her patient.

"Water would be fine." Hinata said, politely declining the cup offered to her.

Calling for a glass of water to be brought in, and once it was handed to the patient in question, Tsunade settled back into her seat, glass of her chosen beverage in hand, as she got down to business.

"So I understand you were in a somewhat delicate condition in our last meeting- your cousin isn't here with you today, but perhaps you'd like to start at the beginning."

"The beginning?" Hinata's soft silvery voice was somewhat subdued in the psychiatrist's office.

"The modelling world isn't kind- I've seen many before you crumble under the pressure, and many of lesser strength of character get cold feet before their career even begins. But everyone has their own story- tell me yours. I can't help you if I don't know you." she replied, assertively reassuring.

"You can't help me if you don't know me...I see. Okay." she leaned forward, placing her empty glass on the desk between them, her hand resting on the polished mahogany surface.

"Now that we've got that settled, why not-"

"What if," she said, interrupting the doctor as she spoke, going on to say, "What if when you get to 'know me' you find something so horrible you'd agree when I say I'd be better off dead? What if despite knowing that's what you'd think of me, I'm still not the least bit remorseful? What if you find that the person behind this pretty mask of a face I wear is a monster inside?" she stopped, her eyes fixing on a point somewhere in the distance, contemplative as her thoughts trailed away.

Reaching out to grasp the hand that lay on the mahogany surface of her desk, the old doctor gave it a reassuring squeeze as she smiled, saying, "As a doctor I'm bound by an oath never to wish any of my patients dead. If you weren't remorseful at all, you wouldn't be here. And as beautiful as your smile is, I like you for the person who lies behind it, the person who makes it as vibrant as it seems when you walk into my office. So no, I won't think any less of you by knowing who you are and what you've done. It's my job to share the burden of it with you. So you don't need to be afraid, Hinata. Things are going to turn out just fine."

The lost look in her eyes focusing itself with more clarity as she collected herself and looked up at Tsunade, the supermodel smiled and said, "Well, I guess this could take a couple of sessions..."

* * *

Footsteps echoed through the almost empty lobby as Hinata walked away from the elevator which brought her down from the office of her new psychiatrist, a smile on her face as she contemplated the relieving effect of having someone to talk to about everything which had happened without fear- a similar feeling to what she'd had talking to Neji several nights ago, albeit far less abrupt this time.

The only other person who'd ever known those things about her till then had been her cousin- but he'd been the one who'd insisted she get professional help.

Pulling her phone out of her bag as she left the building, her smile widened as she recognised the sender of the unread text messages she'd been sent- Naruto, who she'd given her number two days ago when they'd last met.

"So are we still up for tomorrow?" the message read.

Sliding into the dark sedan that waited for her outside the building, she typed her reply.

"Question remains, are _you_ up for tomorrow?"

Almost as though he'd been waiting impatiently for her reply, his own response reached her.

"If it's carrying on from where we left off on Wednesday, definitely."

Giggling slightly, she replied, "That eager to get to know me better?"

"You have no idea" his instantaneous responses continued.

Laughing, a steady blush creeping onto her cheeks, she went on to send her own response.

"Then I can't wait."

"So...Are you going to tell me what you've gotten planned?"

Smirking as she read the hopeful tone of his message, she replied with flat out, "No"

"Not even a hint?"

"It's a surprise."

"A hint?"

"Lets say we'll have some fun around town."

"Ooh...so we'll be painting the town red?"

Her smirk widened as she noted his choice of wording.

"Not red. I much prefer blue. We'll go round and paint the town blue."


	11. Chapter 11

_I'm so hot,_  
 _I ignite_  
 _Dancing in the dark and I shine,_  
 _like a light I'm luring you_

 _-Lana Del Ray_

* * *

A sheet of crystalline ice spread like glass forged in the fires of a dragon's breath, arching over the murky blue lake like a veil separating the cold winter air, and the water beneath.

A veil separating him from what lay on the other side. But a metaphoric veil too. A veil separating the known from the unknown, a veil which he was about to cross with every inch of his being as he stood in the frosty night air and waited.

Waited for the enigma that was Hinata Hyuga, who seemed to know so much about him while he knew so little about her, who had somehow caught him in an enthralling spell of mystery and desire, which drew him to her like a moth to a flame, a fly caught inescapably in a spider's silken web.

The private 'gardens' which she'd invited him to were far less garden than they were forest. Stretching for miles into the hills north of the city, the maze of fir trees dusted with the ethereal white cloak of snow enclosed a clearing- A clearing which enclosed a large, iced lake stretching as far as the large, prominent hills which emerged from its furthest end. The shores of the lake, and all plants surrounding it witnessed a sharp contrast to the wild woodland of the trees which hid the lake from any unknowing observer's view. In the clearing stood barren branches of frosty cherry blossoms and the elegantly tended bonsai bushes. Near the shore, several meters out into the water stood a lone island; home to an elegantly crafted wooden cabin. An empty. snow covered pier stretched several meters into the icy water- no doubt home to boats and canoes in warmer months.

Languidly, he took a few slow steps off the shore onto the wooden planks of the pier. Snow crunched beneath his feet, while the slow groaning creak of old wood sounded below, a quiet noise so amplified by the frozen silence surrounding him that it seemed to bounce off the trees and water, reaching him in a loud, resonating echo.

An echo which masked the quiet, felinely stealthy footprints of the midnight haired model who approached him at last.

"You're early." she noted, a hint of amusement in her voice.

"I like to think of it as my not being able to wait any longer." he said suavely, turning around to face her, the frozen lake behind him.

His breath almost caught as he remembered, with renewed awe, how beautiful she looked; surrounded by delicate white snowflakes which near mirrored her own skin's tone, her dark hair in stark contrast as it twisted itself into an unassuming braid down her side, her cheeks a rosy hue, no doubt chilled from the cold. A cerulean scarf wrapped itself around her neck, a near-black shade of purple dying the cardigan which wrapped around her shoulders. The only other clothes she wore were a flared, boddy hugging, open necked dark red velvet dress, and a pair of long black stockings, tucked into sleek, navy boots.

"Aren't you cold?" he asked, noting her absence of a coat.

"My family comes from the north. It takes far colder than this for me to truly feel the cold." was her response.

"Then I should thank my lucky stars your family has graced me with the honour of meeting its icy angel." he said, breathless as he walked closer to her, taking curious note of a pair of blades in one hand, and black ice skating boots in the other.

"You should thank the angel for leaving her family, fleeing the north in favour of you." she spoke, a cheeky edge to her words as she stepped closer to him, closing the distance between them.

"What brings us so far away from the busy city? I'd have thought a model such as yourself would find far more comfort in the concrete maze of familiarity than so far away from civilisation." he leaned closer to her, their noses inches apart.

"But as you said, I may be an icy angel- not a concrete one. I prefer the gifts of nature to the gifts of man." her words were a whisper against his lips, before she pulled back and walked around him, further onto the snowy pier. "I hope you know how to skate, Naruto."

"Skate?" he asked, turning around to look at her, who having laid the black pair of boots in the snow at the pier's ledge, deftly slid the blades onto the soles of her own boots and stepped tentatively onto the frozen water.

"If you wish to enjoy my company you shall have to catch me first." she said with a smirk as she pushed away from the snow covered pier and sped off onto the vast expanse of frozen water.

Grinning as he shook his head, Naruto rushed onto the pier, quick to trade his shoes for the boots she had conveniently procured in his size, he lowered himself somewhat hesitantly onto the icy lake's surface.

Slowly, somewhat clumsily he stumbled onto the ice with widely spaced, hesitant steps; resemblance of a waddling duckling next to the innate grace and balance with which his companion had glided almost ethereally over the lake's surface. Said woman had now come to a stop several meters away from the pier, and regarded the solid determination with which Naruto gradually gained a casual, graceful ease over the ice, quickly advancing towards her.

Smirking, she slid further away from him, stopping every several meters to look back at the blonde haired man who, with much more speed than her was quickly closing the distance between them, smirking the whole time as he watched her come to a stop, hands raised in the air in surrender, turning to face him with barely contained, resigned laughter.

He playfully circled her several times, drawing her pale silvery eyes to follow his dizzying circles, before he dissappeared altogether, drawing her to a spinning halt. In the confused second she spent looking around herself, laughing at his childishness while startled as to how she could allow herself to become dizzy to the extent she couldn't even realise when he'd hidden himself.

Strong, warm, muscular arms wrapping around her abdomen jolted her out of her thoughts, as she felt her back being pressed against a hard, sturdy, well muscled chest. Familiar, soft blonde spikes tickled her ear, as a soft nose nuzzled the nook where her neck flowed into shoulders. Hot, warm breath met her cold pale skin as his husky voice spoke, "Now that I've caught you, do I get a reward?"

Her lips curling upward in an almost sneaky smile, she spoke, "Now now..." taking a gentle step forward, allowing him to move with her towards the cabin which jutted out of the icy water several meters away from where they had ended up, she continued, "If you got your reward so soon, what's to keep you with me for the remainder of this evening?"

Pressing a gentle kiss to the side of her neck, he said in a low undertone, before pulling away and letting her tug his hand along as they reached the island's narrow shore, "Don't sell yourself short- I would stay for you- reward or no."

"You should slide the blades off your shoes- seeing as you left your other shoes away on the pier." she said, as she kneeled down to do the same of her own boots, leaving their blades on the snow covered wooden planks before walking onto the cabin's porch,leaning against it's railing, and looking out to the mountains beyond.

Hearing his heavier footsteps approach her, before he came into view beside her, she turned so that she could better see his face.

"Where did you learn to skate like that?" he asked quietly, his mind brimming with the image of her darting and spinning over the icy surface as though she were truly an ethereal being.

"I told you; my family comes from the north. In winters, my sister and I would skate along the frozen river..." she said, smiling forlornly at the memory, "We'd give our caretakers a fair run for their money. As a model, balance is key. Skating proved to be a good way to train that. "

"You have a sister?"

She felt more than saw him move to stand next to her, leaning against the railing with his back to the lake, standing close enough to her that she could feel his warmth in the biting cold air.

"Younger than me by three years. She stays in the city; financial district."

"How come I've never seen you with her?" He asked, curiousity in his voice.

She looked away from him, slowly turning her gaze to a distant point between the foggy mountains which bordered the lake. "I don't have good relations with that side of my family any more."

He seemed to understand, and nodded in quiet empathy. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"I expect, a better question would be, "Do you want to ask about it?" she quipped, watching his concerned expression from the corners of her eyes.

"I won't make you talk about anything you don't want to tell me." he said emphatically, careful not to push her into something she wouldn't like.

Taking a pause to appreicate the sincerity in his words, loving him all the more for how considerate and sensitive he could be, she replied, "If there's anyone I would tell, it's you."

Grinning slightly at the knowledge that she placed that amount of trust in him, he spoke. "Then I'm all ears"

"It's nothing really." she said nonchallantly, "You could say we're a family which takes its aristocracy far too seriously. We never saw eye to eye to begin with. When I decided I didn't need to meet their expectations; I left. It's really as simple as that." The practiced indifference with which she spoke might have fooled others, but he saw the bitterness she still held towards them for what it was.

"When was that?" he asked quietly, his hand moving gently to clasp hers on the wooden railing.

"When they decided i was to be married off to a man twice my age for an alliance i'd be damned to be part of." the slight shake of her voice as she finished the last part of her sentence were not of sorrow or regret; a slight nuance in her words that not many would recognise, it was anger which she still bore towards her dissociated family.

Naruto well knew that families such as the one she described still existed; even Sasuke's used to be like that until very recently, but Naruto himself adamanatly opposed their insistance to stick by outdated traditions. Knowing they affected yet another person who he'd grown to care for only served to further anger him; yet for all his protest, the only words of comfort that came to mind were, "...I'm sorry"

"Don't be." she quickly said, adding, "I'm not."

"You didn't hear the whole of it," he said, taking a step closer to her as he stopped leaning against the railing. Less than a foot away from her, he let his hand move from holding hers to wrapping around her waist, pulling her closer to him. "I'm sorry they never realised what an incredible woman they lost."

"I poured my heart into my career. Look where I am now." She said, moving her own hands to clasp around him and loosen his grip until his arms hung by his sides.

"The most beautiful woman on the planet indeed..." he mused, smirking at the coy smile that crept onto her lips as he complimented her. His voice dropped to a low, husky whisper as he said, "I wonder, if there's space in that icy cold facade, and the busy life of a model, for an actor such as myself?"

"I'll have to see about that..." she said, the coy smile never leaving her face as she took a step away from him, before leaning closer to whisper, "Close your eyes..."

Shaking his head slightly, his smirk set firmly in place, he closed his eyes.

Unable to see what she was doing, he felt her breath tickle the side of his neck, her hands slowly unclasping from his, leaving his arms hanging limply on either side of him. A sharp intake of breath as he felt her nose prod the side of his jaw, and he heard her whisper, "Come find me."

Nimble running footprints followed, and he felt a fistful of snow collide with his eyes as they fluttered open. Once he'd finally shaken off the icy cold wetness from his reddening face, he looked frantically in the direction the footsteps had sounded, only to see a light trail of footprints in the snow on the Lake's main shore, leading down the way he had came back to the park's entrance.

And Hinata? She was nowhere to be seen.

* * *

Dim, low lights and pulsing music echoed through the dark hall; dark drapes covered the walls, reaching as far as the arching ceiling.

As for the partygoers, the room was filled with people in elaborate gowns, drinks in hand- no doubt the room was filled with the city's elite. But their most striking feature were the elaborate venetian masks which rendered them unidentifiable to any onlooker.

A masquerade ball. Hinata had led him to midnight party.

With nothing but the golden-red rendition of a fox which masked his face, Naruto wove through the crowd, searching for a person he had no clue how to identify.

She'd taken his keys while he closed his eyes earlier on the lake. Taken his keys, his car, and left.

He'd had no choice but to turn to the black sedan which she'd left behind, which had usefully left itself unlocked with keys in the ignition and a mask on the driver's seat.

To say it was simple guesswork to deduce that she wanted him to followe her to the city's only masked party of the night, would be an overstatement. But he'd gotten there in the end.

More specifically, the gps system which connected him to his vehicle at all times was what led him to her. She may have thought she'd left him clueless but had unwittingly left him a map which led to her.

It was a game she wanted to play; a game he'd gladly beat her in.

So he'd taken his time, first returning to his apartment and changing into much more formal clothes, chosing to wear a mask of his own rather than the icy blue mask she'd set out for him, and then leisurely driving to the destination she had initially intended.

He'd stretched her patience paper thin before finally entering the hall which she was sure to be in, engaging in her elaborate game of hide and seek.

It took him less than moments to identify her.

Not by the breathtaking fiery dress which seemed to come alive with flames every time it caught the light.

Not by the way it hugged her figure, dipping into a low neck with slits running up the side of either leg as she moved across the dance floor.

Not by the way her pale smooth limbs flowed seductively in her sultry dance, calling to him without even being aware of his presence.

Nor by the red and orange flames which danced in swirls over the mask on her face, which intertwined into feathers at either side.

But by the midnight waterfall of hair which cascaded over her shoulders as she twirled in the low light. By the crimson lips which curved upwards in a sensuous smile, the creamy smoothness of her supple skin.

Silvery pale eyes peeked out from the slits of her mask, subtly scanning the crowd- no doubt in search of him. But he would not be so easily found; he intended to make full use of the upper hand he had.

Her entire body flickered in a spiralling blaze, her dress dancing with sparks as she twirled in time with the music, her dress fanning out beneath her, its singed edges forming a ring of fire as she danced, as though she were made of fire itself. She ignited something within him- something which he had never before felt so strongly for anyone.

The masses of people around him, the lights, the room he stood in, were all engulfed in darkness, the sound of music drowning out the drone of people talking and glasses clinking, slowly faded to silence, his breath catching as his eyes followed her every move. They could have been anywhere in the world, but in that moment, all that existed was her. The sole beacon of light to which he was drawn like a moth to a flame.

How wrong he had been in his earlier sobriquet of 'icy angel'- in that moment, she was the farthest thing from. A fierce, sultry, fiery goddess, who beckoned to him with her every move.

He could no longer resist her.

* * *

She scanned the room with a frantic, impatient eye.

He was supposed to have been there by now. That was what she'd planned out.

Yet he was nowhere to be seen.

Had he left? Fed up with her games, did he choose not to follow her after what she'd pulled at the lake? Was he not as attracted to her as she'd first concluded?

It had been a gamble on her part, taking their game as far as she had, but it was a gamble she was willing to take. She needed to know. Know how far his attraction towards her would take him. Know if he was truly acting out of love or lust. Know just how far he was willing to go to keep her. But now? She was beginning to think it was all a mistake

Doubt clouded her mind as she started overanalytically breaking down the events of the evening in her mind.

Caught in a trap of her own mind, the music around her faded to naught, and she could not feel the figure approaching her from behind until two, strong arms wrapped around her lower torso.

Her body tensed, stiff with unease as she grasped the hands that had wrapped around her and turned her head, startled, to face the unexpected figure who had approached her.

Breath catching at the sight of fluffy blonde hair, she looked up into captivatingly cerulean blue eyes, a face masked by an elaborately gold embroidered, deep vermillion venetian mask, shaped like a fox's snout.

She suddenly became aware of her back pressed firmly against his rock solid torso, the smooth muscles which she felt ripple under the fabric of his dark shirt, his arms wrapped snugly around her waist holding her inescapably against him, the hot, sultry breath which ghosted over her neck as the tip of his nose pressed gently against a sensitive spot just beneath her earlobe.

"Naruto.." she whispered, the name like a prayer on her lips. The music around them slowly shifted into a soft, intense ballad.

Her hips swaying in time with the music, he relaxed his grip on her just enough to let her turn to face him, her arms gliding up his chest to clasp themselves around the back of his neck. He froze her with a scorching gaze, intensely fixated on her, which stirred a whirlwind of emotions within her, an almost uncomfortable heat burning in her chest, rendering her unable to respond in anyway but to stare back at him with helpless surrender.

His eyes dropped from her face to her lips, and she felt more than saw him lean towards her, closing her eyes as his lips touched hers, ravishing her mouth with reckless abandon as they sought each other for the first time of many that night.

* * *

A pair of serpentile, reptilian eyes watched the couple embrace on the floor from the hall's upper balcony.

He had been watching them for some time, but had finally gotten them exactly where he wanted.

A sandy haired blonde approached him, standing next to him as she spoke. "What do you think, will he do?"

"I want them both. In my collection." he hissed, looking down on the two with a glint of ugly greed in his eyes.

"She's an internationally acclaimed supermodel. What makes you think she'll work for you?" the blonde countered.

"I want her as a part of my collection, not my work." he said, turning to fix a yellow eyed glare at his companion as he spoke, "Will he agree, do you think?"

The blonde looked down as the couple kissed in the middle of the dance floor, an almost wistful expression adorning her face. "I'll make him agree."

"I expect nothing less of you." he said, turning away, beginning his return to the shadowy studios which comprised his work.

"Orochimaru," she called, stopping him in his tracks as he turned again to face her.

"Is there something else you want?" he asked, impatient.

"Did you mean that you want to add her to your... _human_ collection?" she asked, somewhat hesitant.

"Would it bother you if I did?" he asked, moving closer to her as his voice sunk to a hissed whisper.

"N-no. Not at all." she replied quickly, in fear of angering him. Her gaze wandered back to the couple on the lower floor, and her expression steeled. Looking up at the reptilian man with a subtle air of anger, she spoke. "As a matter of fact, I want her dead."

* * *

 **It's been a long time...I'm sorry about that, truly. I could say I've been busy moving countries and all- life has been hectic. That doesn't make up for months of no updates.**

 **Let's just say sorry then?**

 **Hope you enjoy...lemme know what you think.**

 **~Raven**


	12. Chapter 12

**Wasn't as long a wait this time, now was it? Along chapter for all my wonderful readers (I really appreciate all your reviews truly)  
**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 _Sneak up on you,  
Really quiet,_  
 _Whisper,  
"Am I what your heart desires?"_  
 _I could be your ingenue.  
~Lana_

* * *

The smell of freshly baked flapjacks wafted through the apartment, slipping past the gap made by the slightly ajar bedroom door to greet him with their mouth-watering scent as he woke that morning.

Neji's initial reaction was to hum contentedly in compliance with his stomach, pleased to have such a delectable incentive to leave the comfort of his bed. He then frowned, an impending sense of dread filling him as he pieced together the only obvious conclusions which came to his head.

He was in his own room. He hadn't had anyone else with him the previous night as he returned to his apartment (nor would he bring anyone else to the space he shared with his cousin).

Hinata was the only one with access to the kitchen- and not only was it a novelty for Hinata to be the first to wake up; he recalled the last time she'd woken up early to cook them both breakfast. It was supposed to have been her last minute attempt to cover up the fact that she had been completely and utterly stoned the previous night, responsible for the dilapidated state of their living room.

Suffice to say the only time Hinata ever willingly cooked in the morning was when there was trouble to own up to.

When he finally entered the kitchen, his apprehensive question of, "What happened?" was interrupted by her bright chirpy, "Good morning!"

"What do you mean, 'what happened'?" She asked gently, setting down a plate of flapjacks next to a pile of golden brown pancakes.

"You never cook." He deadpanned, going on to add, "And I never saw you come home last night, you were out late?"

Her upturned lips tilted into a sour pout as she protested, "I cook to make up for trashing the apartment _one time_ and you _still_ hold it against me!" She exclaimed, laughing to herself as she walked to a cabinet, a spring in her step, reaching up for a jar of syrup.

Walking back to the table, she sat down on one end and looked at him expectantly.

The same expression mirrored itself on his face.

"What? Oh..." she beamed, "I had a date last night."

He raised a curious eyebrow. "Must have been some date if it leaves you happy enough to make breakfast."

"Believe me, it was." She quipped, smiling to herself. "I was with Naruto."

He sat down, reaching out for a flapjack, smirking teasingly as he said, "I thought you said you two weren't close..."

"We are now." She replied, practically bursting with cheerfulness, the suave smile ever-present on her face.

His thoughts turned back to her frantic confession several nights ago, noting the sharp contrast in her behaviour. Well, she _seemed_ happy.

But he of all people knew how well versed she was in the art of smoothing things over to mask her true thoughts.

"Are you sure this is what you want?" He asked, his tone casual despite the gravity of his question as he referred to her growing relationship with a man for whom she was driven to stain her hands with blood.

She was resolute in her reply. "It's more than I'd ever hoped for."

He nodded in understanding, gauging the truth to her words with the bare honesty in her eyes.

He ventured a second question, wincing at the thought of the effect it would have on her cheery disposition.

"Have you seen Dr Tsunade as of late?" He asked, appearing nonchalant despite his careful note of her response.

Her bright mood visible dampened at the mention of her psychotherapist and the memories it brought with it. "I've an appointment with her tomorrow."

"Have you told her about..?"

Hesitant, she shook her head. "I'll tell her everything tomorrow- we've got a double session booked. I-I haven't quite mustered the...courage yet, I guess?"

Her expression grew increasingly distraught as she lost herself in her inner musings.

"Hinata." He stopped her, drawing her attention to the seriousness of his tone, all semblance of casualness gone.

She paused, looking up at him, her head tilting slightly with the silent understanding of what he was trying to say.

"I'll support you wherever you go with this-"

She frowned, a crease of confusion marring her features as she tried to discern what he was trying to imply.

"whatever anyone says, you'll never be a murderess to me." he went on to say, watching as her eyes brightened with unspoken affection towards the cousin who'd always stood by her when even her own family turned their back on her.

She nodded slowly, a silent encouragement for him to finish his line of thought.

"But _this_ " The killings, the hiding, the keeping secrets, the drugs, the hurting alone with no signs of opening up to the people who can help... "This needs to stop."

She frowned, and he watched her slowly raise her guards at the thought that he may be referring to her relationship with _him_.

"Keep up your appointments with Tsunade, keep at it with Naruto too - _nothing could make me happier._ "

She brightened, understanding dawning in her eyes as she saw what he was trying to say.

"But no more killings. You hear me?" He said, going on to add a soothing, "I'm here for you, always."

Of course he was. It was wrong, what she'd done. Beyond measure. Not the sort of thing that could be dismissed as easily as a naive child's misdoings. Admitted, when she'd spilled everything to him in an overflowing mess of misery and guilt, he'd been more than shocked by her words. But it was _Hinata_. Hinata who'd had the world stacked against her for the longest of time. Hinata who'd fought tooth and nail and built every brick of her empire with sweat and blood. Hinata who'd been dealt more pain than anyone as kind, forgiving as her should ever have to bear. If she'd killed four hundred and not four, his loyalties would still lie with her. She didn't need the police knocking at her door and throwing her into more agony than she'd faced till then. She needed help. _His_ help.

Silvery eyes locked with their identical pair as she nodded in response to his words, worlds of understanding in her eyes. A pale feminine hand reached over the table to clasp his reassuringly, as she said, "It won't happen again, Neji nii-san. It's a promise."

* * *

"Naruto!"

He looked up to see the busty blonde woman with sandy blonde hair walk slowly up to him as he waited in front of the studio door. It had come as a surprise to find that Temari was part of the acting crew he'd been invited to join- but not an unwelcome one.

The new director Orochimaru had invited him to visit the filming studio he owned- and for all his reservations regarding the suddenness with which the new director had taken over their show, Naruto was quite interested in what the director had to offer. After all, he was eager to expand his acting career beyond the scope of TV dramas.

"I'm so glad you could make it- you'll love this place." The blonde said as she stood looking up at him, her voice low and husky as she reached out, looping her arm through his and pulling him through the studio doors.

"How's the city treating you? Last I heard you were out in the suburbs." He said as she slowed to a walking pace, still half leaning on his right arm, thinking back to the last time he'd seen her.

"It's taken a while but I've recovered well. Orochimaru's been a great help-my career's gotten right back on its feet, probably better than I left it. I'm just left trying to tie up loose ends with people." She explained as they walked, going on to say, "Trust me, accepting his offer is the best thing you could do."

He smiled, saying, "I'll believe it when I see it."

"Oh you will- this is the primary studio but there's plenty more in the vicinity. It was his first one- equipped pretty well, with an amazing directing crew and state of the art tech and stuff..." she went on to proceed with a tour of the place, stopping at individual filming sets with short descriptions, steering clear of locked doors and studios which she dismissed with 'they're busy filming, best left undisturbed', primarily bringing the conversation back repeatedly to her interest in what she'd missed in her time away.

"Seems like you really enjoy working here." He said, smirking, following an hour of being toured around the studio and various projects and filming crew, as she led him to the office where they would meet Orochimaru.

A coy smile fluttered over her plump lips as she said, "Let's just say it's an absolute pleasure to work here,"

He grinned, reminded of the playful yet passionate dedication to her work which was what had first attracted him to Temari.

They'd both been fresh newbies to the acting industry, and he'd been attracted to the intensity with which she threw herself into project after project. He'd genuinely been quite fond of her back then- their relationship intimate, their affection real. But she'd quickly spiralled into a pit of drugs and alcohol, driven herself onto a hell bent path to self destruction, nearly dying from the consequences. He'd been willing to stick with her through it all at the time, pull her out of the low she'd created for herself. But she chose to cut all ties and leave the city, leaving their relationship at a bitter end which he'd taken months to get over.

Their relationship was well and over- after all, he was almost certainly in the process of falling head over heels for another woman- but their friendship wasn't. Seeing her well and healthy was heart-warming. "It's great to see you've recovered so well- I'm really glad."

She smiled, leaning into him again as they reached the office door. "I missed this- the acting, the city, you. I miss _us._ "

Choosing to ignore her not so subtle hint at their relationship, he said, "A lot has changed- though it looks like you've adapted well."

Smiling, she reached out and opened the office door, leading him inside.

Finding the office empty, she sat him down in one of the room's sofas, leaving the room to make a quick phone call.

He used the opportunity to take a look around the office, curious interest taking his eyes to several movie collections and award displays shelved behind the desk, searching for something to dissuade the nagging doubt that'd been growing in his mind for a while now as she showed him around the studio. His eyes caught a specific production title, which gnawed at his subconscious, the reason for his unease evading his conscious ever so slightly as he struggled to bring the cause to mind.

He was interrupted by the sound of the door clicking shut as Temari re-entered the room. Her jacket was gone, drawing his attention, for the first time, to her attire. A short denim miniskirt hugged her hips, barely brushing the tips of her thighs, with a flimsy, sleeveless crop top doing little to cover her cleavage, leaving the subtle muscles of her abdomen and her toned figure on open display.

She must have been working out a lot more since he last knew her, since he remembered none of that before she left.

Her eyes trained on him with a predatory stare, an implicit _lust_ in her eyes which told him that somehow, she must have gotten the entirely wrong impression of his stance on their relationship from their conversation.

"It's pretty chilly Temari; don't you need, like, a jumper?" He asked, suddenly finding the tension in the air far more present than before.

"Orochimaru's going to be a little late it seems- you don't mind waiting do you?" She asked, ignoring his question and walking towards him slowly, her hips swaying seductively with every step.

"Maybe I should get going, come back another time?" he asked hesitantly, about to sit up when he felt strong hands push down on his shoulders and push him back into the sofa.

"Why leave when there's so much _more_ we could do." She said, smirking seductively as she stood director in front of him, looking down with a burning desire clouding her eyes, his knees brushing lightly against her legs with the close proximity.

And suddenly, it all clicked in his mind. The locked doors, areas of filming she wanted not to be seen, the out of place movie titles which finally struck him as having one thing in common, that being their erotic nature, and even the provocative magnetism with which she seemed to cage the room around him.

The mistrust he'd placed in the director seemed much less out of place at that moment.

"And when were you going to mention that your new acting team is a porn studio?" He protested with accusation, wary of the way she seemed unwavering in her sudden proximity.

"The one's with any reasonable plot end up on the big screens, you know." she supplied, a devilish smirk gracing her lips as she leaned ever so slightly towards him, her ample bust nearly thrust into his face.

About to stand up and move away, he felt himself being slammed back into the sofa, his legs pinioned under the vice like grip of her legs, her hips straddling his crotch as she grinded against him, making him all too aware of the absence of any clothing beneath her ridiculously short skirt as she practically humped his denim covered groin. Her lips locked with his reluctant pair, tongue forcing its way past his teeth, hands roaming the plane expanse of his chest, pushing open his shirt in a matter of seconds as he struggled against her, trying his darned best to push her away without hurting her too badly.

He felt her hand roam over the rippling muscles of his lower abdomen, her lips leaving his to suck their way down his neck, the planes of his upper pectorals, her hand dipping beneath his waistline, reaching inside his trousers, grasping him forcefully as he bucked against her, struggling to throw her off without injuring her in any way.

He finally pushed her off him- perhaps too harshly- and watched her land in a crumpled heap on the floor.

Standing up and fastening his abused shirt buttons, he faced her as she struggled to calm her heaving breaths.

He sighed and said, "Look, I'm sorry if I gave you the wrong idea or something, but I'm not interested. At all." he frowned, as the look of quiet infuriation in her eyes merely gave him more incentive to leave as quickly as possible.

He turned away, about to leave only to find the door locked. He heard her footsteps approach him from behind and turned, annoyed, to say, "Where are the goddamned keys, Temari!"

"Have you even slept with her yet?" She asked, her voice mocking, as she reached behind herself and unzipped her top, throwing it aside to let her ample breasts bounce free.

"Girls like that play with you- you need a _real_ woman to keep you _satisfied_." She continued, pulling out the tie which held her skirt together, leaving her stark naked as she discarded it on the floor, stalking up to him. He moved away from her, stepping backwards until his back hit the door.

"Temari- what are you- stop I-" his words were muffled by the hand which covered his mouth.

She leaned into him once again, her chest pressed against his as her hands gripped the sides of his face, her mouth forcing itself upon his, biting at his struggling tongue.

Before he could push her away again, she dropped to her knees, her head eye level with his waistline. Her teeth finding the zip of his jeans, she pulled it down, her hands reaching to undo the top button. Her head struggled forward against his hands which pushed her away by the shoulders, before a sharp kick to her side sent her flying off him, landing on her back, whimpering in pain.

"I'm sorry for hurting you -you left me no choice." He said, turning to the door again, slamming against the lock and forcing it open with renewed anger, storming out.

Without sparing a second look backwards, he added over his shoulder, "Tell Orochimaru we have no business."

* * *

The sandy blonde haired woman was halfway through the process of tying up her skirt, her shirt next on the list of clothes to put on, when her boss walked through the door, closing the door the best it could be with a broken lock.

"Care to explain?" He hissed, his yellow eyes fixed on her as she jumped skittishly in surprise, her eyes s mixture of anger and fear as they swept over his face.

"We- I was'" she started, the words of an explanation forming in her mouth before he interrupted.

"It was a rhetorical question!" He said in annoyance, "I saw everything."

"Saw?" She asked in disbelief.

"You think I don't have surveillance in my own office?" He sneered, walking up to her while he spoke, "I gave you every opportunity to seduce him and this is what you come up with?"

She looked away from him sulkily, bending down to pick up her top as she said, "I can't get him to do anything as long as _she's_ around. Get rid of her first why don't you!"

He reached out and grabbed her by the hair, turning her to face him, anger evident in his voice, "I gave you one simple task and you couldn't even seduce him!"

Wincing in pain, her hand reached out to grasp his wrist, her other hand letting the crumpled top fall to the floor as it rose to cup his face. Quickly allowing herself to switch from a woman scared of repercussions to be faced from her employer, to the dominatrix he'd trained her to be. Stepping closer to the black haired man, till there was less than a hair's breadth space between them, she leaned in until her lips hovered over his ear, her body pressed sensually against his.

The fear in her eyes replaced by a seductively vindictive anger, she whispered in a husky, sultry voice, "If it's my power of seduction you doubt..." her teeth lightly grazed his ear as her hand fell from his face to the front of his waist, unzipping the front of his trousers, "...Then you've got nothing to worry about."

He released her hair, his hands instead moving to remove the skirt she'd only just finished putting on, lifting her onto the room's only desk.

"Don't take my silence for forgiveness...You'll have to work harder to fix your 'mistake'." He hissed, pressing his bare hips against hers, sheathing himself within her warmth as she wrapped her legs around his back, moaning in pleasure.

"Then what's next?" She asked breathily as she pressed kisses against his collarbone.

"Next?" He asked, a dark, sadistic amusement glinting in his eyes as he let her remove what remained of his clothes, "You let the grown-ups handle what little whores weren't meant to do."

* * *

The soft click of heels caught up to him in the almost empty corridor, as Sasuke turned around in response to the soft feminine call of his name.

Midnight dark hair and silvery eyes entered his frame of vision as he tilted his head up in acknowledgement.

"Do you want to catch up over a coffee? You're on break now too, ne?" she asked him tentatively, gracing him with the dazzling smile he'd heard his blonde best friend gushing about till the early hours of the morning.

He hadn't much better to do, had he? He recalled how Sakura had reprimanded him for knowing almost nothing about the 'sweet girl' he'd been working with for the greater part of a year now. She was to be a greater part of their life now, if Naruto really was serious about her, right?

"I don't see why not."

Her smile widened as she bid him lead the way to a small bistro within their studio compound. Neither of them spoke as they waited on their caffeinated drinks, but settled into a comfortable silence similar to the one they usually sported in their regular interactions.

"I'm hoping Naruto hasn't given you a play by play of last night," she ventured, the humour evident in her voice as he smirked and replied.

"Suffice to say he wouldn't have found that party venue if it weren't for me."

Her lips curled upwards in a smirk as she said, "I guess I have you to thank then. You two are really close, huh?"

"Much as it pains me to admit it," he quipped the smirk still playing on his lips while his eyes assumed a more serious edge, as he went on to add, "He's my best friend." There was no need to vocalise the unspoken addition of _don't hurt him_.

"Which is precisely why we're talking now, isn't it? I don't want to _date_ Naruto if I can't _be_ with him, you know, fit in with his friends and the people he values. He clearly cares about you."

His look of guarded suspicion at the almost _clinical_ nature of her words was swept away by the sincerity of her tone. With not a hint of the calculating minds of others he'd grown used to seeing try to take advantage of Naruto, there was a sense of candor with which she regarded him. One which somehow seemed to win his begrudging approval.

"Aa. Don't worry about it." _He's already falling head over heels for you as it is._

She nodded, a subtle, grateful smile curling her lips upwards as a waiter arrived with two mugs on a tray.

His scrutinizing gaze swept over her from the rim of his cup as he all but watched as she formulated the question she was about to pose. Perhaps she was still curious about Naruto? Or some comment on their upcoming out-of-city photo shoot?

"So, how are things going with Sakura?"

Her words caught him slightly by surprise, as he eyed her warily. His concern towards Sakura was one he more often than not preferred to keep to himself, not even Naruto fully knew or understood exactly what was going on between them or how he felt towards her. But something about the dark haired woman, who'd been so empathetic to him before, who's own feelings towards his best friend somewhat mirrored his own feelings, had him feeling slightly more inclined to talk about the topic.

"She's at the cemetery." He ventured, a forced casualness forced into his tone.

Hinata frowned, concern marring her features. "Mourning Ino yet again so soon? And alone?"

"She has company. Mourning her fiancé" _With his mother_. Because it hurt him too much to watch the woman he loved mourn the man she used to love, who happened to be the one man in the world who's happiness he could never bring himself to take away.

" _Ex_ Fiancé?" she asked, breaking his internal monologue. Her brows furrowed confusedly, and he absent mindedly wondered if perhaps Sakura should have been the one talking with this woman in his place. They would have gotten along well- a different kind of companionship than the relatively silent conversations he preferred.

Though in his defence, he decided he did in fact quite like the companionship of the woman in question. She was perceptive in a way that would be good for Naruto.

"My brother," he replied, watching as her expression melted into one of silent realisation, her eyes home to a new sense of respect, unspoken sympathy as she inclined her head, willing him to go on.

He added, "He died a year ago. They were scheduled to get married last spring." The twinge of resentment in his voice as he spoke was almost undetectable, but did not go unnoticed by her.

"-which all of a sudden explains why you haven't made a move on her yet." Hinata quipped, her voice level, eyes regarding him with renewed esteem.

"She's going through a rough time." _Why can't I do anything to help her?_ His own inability to comfort her was his greatest frustration.

"I remember she was quite a musical sensation a few years ago. What happened to that?" She steered the topic elsewhere, as though sensing he wouldn't want to further her with any other responses in their current line of thought.

"She prefers to do behind the scenes work on movie soundtracks now. At least, for now." He supplied, recalling how happy he'd been when Sakura'd finally decided to enter the music industry again, albeit in a different way, but still surrounded by one of the few things which she genuinely still enjoyed.

"Sounds like she needs a break" Hinata said.

"Hn." _Not a bad idea._ Sakura would never agree.

"Hey, why not bring her along on that out-of-city shoot we've got scheduled this week? I'm sure you could rent a cabin near the shooting location, turn it into an extended vacation." her suggestion was not one he'd not thought of before, but hearing it vocalised so confidently had him second guessing his initial dismissal of the thought. Perhaps he could talk Sakura into taking some time out?

"That may be a good idea." He vocalised his thoughts, internally considering the likelihood that his obnoxious best friend would let the two of them leave the city for a good few days without him tagging along.

"You realise, if we both come along and you're on site too, Naruto's bound to tag along too." He said, smirking as he realised the dark haired woman in front of him was well aware of the fact.

A coy smile playing on her lips, she raised an eyebrow, "Who says I'd mind?"

He took note of the almost mischievous glint in her eyes as she added, "Do you need a babysitter?"

* * *

The soft, light trickle of water cascaded over mossy, earthen, lusciously green-tipped boulders, falling delicately downward in a sharp vertical drop towards the shallow purity of the pool below, only to be stopped and caught by long, dark tresses of silken hair, which mixed with liquid life against the light of the setting sun to erupt into a myriad of glittering jewels in a starry night sky.

Creamy pale skin hid behind lush, beryl leaves shaped in perfect tear drops as they lit up in the near sleeping sun's light.

A porcelain, soft palm caught the water above her head, her neck tilted backwards as the water poured over her neck, soaking the white fabric of her tunic shirt, as she closed her eyes to the sensation of water running in rivulets down her neck, the crevices of her back, her sides, her bare legs.

The tranquil silence of the clearing dissipated with the sound of a camera shutter snapping shut as the moment was captured on the lenses of their newest photographer.

Hinata's eyes flew open, turning to wrap her arms around her bodice, doe shaped eyes innocently peeping past the leaves which only semi obscured her from vision.

Waiting for further direction from the photography crew, she found her eyes straying beyond the mossy rocks she rested her feet on, beyond the surrounding equipment set up for the camera crew, to find the blonde haired man she knew would be watching her from within the trees that lined the pool below.

A blonde who's eyes were trained irremovably from the image of the entrancing, radiant _angel_ who was perched upon an elevated rock, hidden partially by the bright green trees as the delicate hum of the gentle waterfall she stood under sent water rushing over every inch of her porcelain skin.

 _So pure._

 _So perfect._

Too perfect for the world to see, he thought. The sight of her, wearing nothing but a near transparent white tunic, soaking wet as she posed before a camera both took his breath away and unsettled him irrationally.

 _He_ wanted to be the only one to see her like that. To keep this side of her, this innocent, ethereal _nymph_ who shone brighter than the light of the now rising moon for his eyes alone.

 _Not somewhere for the whole world to see._

And yet he found himself breathless at the fact that he was privy to this sight at all.

 _Is this a dream? That someone like me can be with her in the first place?_

He watched her nimbly leap down from her perch on the boulders, tentatively slipping into the shallow depths as she waded towards the shore. It had escaped his notice, he thought, how much time had passed, as the moon now hung confidently overhead, all vestiges of the day engulfed by the blanket of night.

Someone passed her a towel as she slipped her feet into sandals, rubbing her hair dry and stopping to talk to her directors. Smiling cheerfully, she nodded at something they said, seemingly bidding them farewell as she turned away.

His eyes never left her. Waiting.

After what seemed to him like all too long, she finally approached him.

"Sorry for making you wait. I didn't realise you'd leave them be so soon." she said, smiling apologetically as she came to a halt in front of him.

"They'll be fine, trust me." he said, impulsively letting his hand dart out to catch hers, holding it in a gentle grasp as they started the walk back to her cabin.

"I mean, as long as Sasuke doesn't do anything stupid. I swear, if he mentions Itachi or Ino again in front of Sakura, or treats her like she's so delicate all the time she's going to break something. Or maybe break him. But he's a model so that wouldn't go down too well I guess."

She laughed melodically at his words, and he realised he'd been rambling about practically nothing.

"What?" He asked, half teasingly insulted at her laughter.

"Adorable" she said, shaking her head endearingly.

"Who're you calling adorable!" he interjected fruitlessly, coming to a stop, though she'd already began to steer the conversation elsewhere, her fingers still laced firmly in his as she tugged him along.

"But how close are they, really?" she asked pensively as they walked in the dim light.

He paused, as though considering the best way to put into words the indefinable relationship between his two best friends.

"I'll put it this way; at the end of the day, when there's too many spirits in her blood, or too few spirits in her life, or when he's too frustrated at the world, or too lost in his own mind, they end up at each others' apartments. And they understand each other in a way I've never seen anyone do before. It could just be late night movie watching, or falling asleep on each others' shoulders when it gets too late. But they just _fit_. Like a jigsaw puzzle."

Her expression thoughtful, silent admiration of his perceptive description, she nodded in understanding.

"They're both lucky to have you." she added, as an afterthought.

* * *

He stood in the empty bedroom, stoking the hearth as he shuddered at how cold it had suddenly become as the night fell. _She_ was in the bathroom, with a warm shower to change out of her drenched clothing from earlier. _Hopefully into something a little less...distracting._

His mind drifted back to her adorable, tinkle of laughter as they'd walked back to her cabin earlier.

It was so _easy_ with her.

Easy to be himself.

And _fun_ all the same.

He stood up, moving away from the fire and catching vague sight of his reflection in the mirror hanging on the wall.

In the dim light, he looked... _older_. A far cry from the boy who'd been swept into a near toxic relationship with one of his colleagues in the early stages of his career. A far cry, even, from the boy he'd been even a few months ago, when he'd been pushed into a relationship with a touring dancer who's request for a relationship he hadn't had the heart to reject.

A good kind of _older_ , he decided.

The sound of a door softly creaking open drew his eyes to the door of the bathroom, visible through the mirror's reflection from his vantage point.

He caught himself watching with bated breath as light footsteps padded into the room.

Hinata was there, her hair swept up in a twisted towel, her body covered in a short white bathrobe which stopped just short of her knees.

Small droplets of water still clung to her open collar, the sides of her legs, her neck- even the small strands of hair which stayed plastered to her face.

His attention was drawn to every one of them as she walked lithely towards him; _he couldn't look away_.

Her lips curved into an enticing smile, as she walked closer to him.

Before he could register her position, she was standing behind him, her head tilted at an angle as her breath fanned hotly against his earlobe, the hairs on the back of his neck standing in anticipation as feather light touches ran down his arms, one delicate hand slipping into his own calloused palm and firmly interlocking their fingers.

Her eyes inviting, her voice a low irresistible lilt, she spoke.

"Like what you see?"

He chuckled- a deep chuckle that rumbled through his chest as he leaned back ever so slightly, his hand tightly grasping hers, as though never to let go.

He felt every nerve in his body run into overdrive as a tentative, soft tongue ran along the shell of his ear. Her voice barely above a whisper, the room silent save for the crackling of the hearth, she asked,

"Am I what your heart desires?"

The burning need which clouded his eyes as they locked with hers through the mirror in front of them, was all the response she needed.

* * *

 **Ooo so it's heating up now!**

 **Review please.**

 **~Raven**


	13. Chapter 13

_Keep you safe  
And inspire  
Baby let your fantasies  
Unwind  
We could do what you want to do, ooh, ooh,  
-Lana_

* * *

Strong, sturdy hands gripped her waist with an almost vice-like grip which reflected the intense _need_ behind them, as she felt her movements taken out of her hands, moving at a pace which could have been as slow as a lethargic sloth but to her felt like thousands times faster than the speed of light, as he surged forwards, carrying her until she felt the smooth plane of the wall hit the soft arches of her back, her limbs a confused tangle as they reached out, for hair, skin, clothes, searching for something, _anything_ to hold onto as she tugged on him.

It was though a damn had burst, the tension they'd been building for as long as she remembered knowing him (which wasn't an awfully long time, in retrospect, but felt to her long enough for her to never have known anything else), spilling into her bones, her blood, her limbs, simmering under her skin and almost tangible as her fingers brushed his skin, her hand cupping his face, nothing short of wanton desire on her face as she looked up at him with wide, silvery orbs, relishing in the way his hands grasped her so possessively.

His lips touched hers and as her eyes closed and their tongues met it felt _electrifying_ as they connected, the world around her erupting in a kaleidoscope of golden yellow, spiky blonde, bronzed tan and those deep, deep pools of blue more crystal than any water on earth. Hands moved to her waist, trailing down to her thighs, in a surprisingly calm action in their storm of urgency, lifting one leg gently up to wrap around his waist as the hard, strong lines of his body pressed further against the soft, smooth curves of her own.

The towel intended to dry her hair lay lost somewhere on the floor between where she'd started and where they now leaned against the smooth, cold, wall, yet the shivers down her spine had very little to do with the cool surface behind her, and everything to do with the way his hands played with her skin as though she were a taught violin string, quivering at his touch.

One hand trailed up to her neck, cupping the back of her head and tilting it upwards to ravage the cavern of her mouth one last time before his mouth moved it's attention to the column of her neck, leaving her mouth free to voice his name in a carnal moan that had been subtly vying for release since he started his ministrations. She felt him stiffen against her, his lips moving to whisper her own name like a prayer of reverence, before worshipping every inch of the skin on her neck, moving to her collar bone with a red-hot touch that made her cold, pale skin ignite with ferocious heat, stoking the flames in the pit of her stomach as they roared to life, every inch of her being suddenly hyper-aware of his every touch, the heaving rise and fall of his breaths, the scent of his earthen musk which filled and surrounded her senses.

Their hips pressed together, one hand tightly clutching the fabric of the shirt that covered his back, squeezing as though to never let go as long as she held him in her arms, her other hand's fingers laced through strands of soft gold as she tugged at his head with every coarse, rushed gulp of air, her own hair splayed over her face and shoulders in a mess of silky wet locks.

Cracking her eyes open, choosing to finally see what he'd been making her feel since her back first hit the wall, her breath caught in her throat as a single, pale silvery eye stared at her reflection in the mirror across the room. From there, she could see every well defined ridge and plane of his back under the fabric of the shirt she'd pulled taught, as his head lingered further on her clavicle, her bathrobe pushed well off the shoulder he attacked with his mouth, his hair catching the light of the fire as though it too had ignited in a hot, flickering blaze caught like liquid gold in her fingers.

A slender leg which looked far too unfamiliarly enticing to actually be her own snaked its way around his waist, as though locking him too her in an all the more enticing way, while her other arm also found purchase pulling him closer to her from around his back. And her face- it looked a far cry from the immaculate persona of the flawless model she'd trained herself to be- lips swollen and red from his attention, parted as her chest heaved for air, cheeks flushed and glistening with sweat, lashes fluttering as her eyes threatened to close again with every new inch of skin he demanded her attention with.

 _More_ , _she wanted more_. More of his lips on her skin, his fiery touch, his hard edges, his soft smiles. More of _him_. Of _them_.

And as her eyes strayed back to the reflection of their bodies intertwined, her arms wrapped around him as he made her moan with sounds she'd never known herself to be capable of making, it was as though there was no other place she was meant to be; his arms were _safe_.

And she'd keep him safe too, wouldn't she? He'd never need anything or want anyone else.

Her hands tugged at his hair and shirt, pulling him away from her in a way that made the absence of the warmth of his touch all too grating. But she wanted more than just his shirt to touch, she wanted him bared for her, and only her. As he leaned away from her, clear blue eyes now clouded with stormy lust, her hands moved from the back of his neck, sliding around to his front, and slowly unbuttoning his shirt, her hands making their way down to the last button at a pace slow enough to drive him insane with restlessness. Her hands touched the smooth, toned muscles of his bared skin, sliding up along the hard plane to push the shirt clean off his shoulders, allowing for his arms to shrug off the fabric, and it felt to her as though she were laying her hands on some blonde adonis, sent by the gods.

Her voice a hoarse whisper which served to elicit shivers from his frame, she found words which had evaded her since his hands had first touched her skin, "I want you _now_ , Naruto. _All of you_."

She leaned in, slowing the pace to a tantalizing, slow, tease as her lips found their way to his left clavicle, slowly letting herself leave lovebites down his chest, as her hands dipped lower, to the waistband of his jeans, tugging at buttons and zips and pushing and pulling until strong arms lift her by the shoulders so that she is standing again, her eyes roving his bared form with a hunger that roared for satiation, her body tensing as his hands moved to the front of her robe, untying what was left of the loose knot and allowing the soft fluffy fabric to fall from her body entirely, leaving her stripped for his ravenous eyes, which lingered on her body, shimmering in the light of the hearth, perfect in every curve and plane.

She found herself swept off her feet and disoriented to the world around her save for the feel of his strong, tanned arms around her back, and under the fold of her knees, as he cradled her to his chest and laid her down on the soft, crisp sheets of a bed, not yet warmed by the heat of the fire.

Silver locked with icy blue as he hovered above her, one knee finding purchase between her legs as his hands started exploring her in places never exposed to him before; her mind drifted for a moment to thoughts of the wonderful blend their eyes would make if ever blended together- blue and silver, like a starlit twilight, ethereal, just as magical as _they_ were together.

"I love you, Naruto," she found herself saying at one point, as his face poised inches above hers, his panting breaths on her skin, sweat beaded on his forehead as her hands on him elicited the most arousing groans torn from his throat.

He came down on her with his lips, locking with hers and pillaging the cavern of her mouth with his tongue as he moved into her, their hips meeting as her legs wrapped their way around his back,holding him close to her as though tying her to him indefinitely, her eyes rolling into the top of her head in bliss, shuddering in ecstasy.

"I'm yours, Hinata." she heard him whisper against her lips, her name a prayer on his lips.

And she lost herself in the heat of their passion many times that night, filled with nothing but the utmost satiation when her eyes cracked open to soft beams of sunlight falling on her face, as she lay nestled in the crook of his arms, head resting against his solid, sinuous chest, with nothing but steady sound of his beating heart beneath her.

She was his, too.

* * *

"You look perfect as it is, don't worry," His words fell on largely deaf ears as he watched soft, slender hands run through midnight dark hair, an equally dark comb in hand as she teased her hair into a high pony tail, her pale skin contrasting sharply against her inky black strands of hair.

A light, melodic laugh betrayed her appreciation of the thought, along with exasperation as its inaccuracy, "Sweet of you as that is, Naruto, the Paparazzi will say otherwise."

Her hands moved to her bag to pull out a slim black box, which she unscrewed to run the lipgloss wand slowly over her already plump red lips, adding a glazed sheer to her lip colour. He'd be lying if he didn't admit watching the action filled him with the urge to kiss her there and then.

"Now you're just teasing me." he said, smirking as he realised from the mischievous glint in her eyes that that had been her intention.

Her glossy lips curling upwards as she put her lipgloss away, she reached out to take back the small mirror he'd been holding up for her. "Thank you." she added, as she put the mirror safely away within her bag as well.

More often than not, he'd only seen her most perfectly put together self, the face she showed the rest of the world, immaculately presented with no room for mistakes. In a sense, having her comfortable around him enough to brush up on something as simple as her makeup made him think her all the more _human_ \- and yet no less beautiful for it in his mind.

 _No use denying that you've not fallen head over heels for her by now._

"So when do I get to mess up that lipgloss?" he asked, the cheeky edge to his voice not as responsible for the light blush on her cheeks as was the smouldering look he pinned her with.

"We're about to get off the _plane_ , Naruto." she stressed, grin on her face subverting the exasperation of her eye roll.

His suggestive smirk didn't move an inch as his question persisted, "Why should that matter?"

He didn't let her finish, choosing to reposition them both so he sat directly next to her, leaving his perch on the side of the plane opposite her, and instead letting his hands find their way mischeivously to her hips, ignoring her yelp of surprise as he scooped her onto his lap so that she sat perched on his thighs, leaning the back of her head against the nook of his neck, her chin tilting upwards until her lips brushed his jaw.

He saw, out of the corner of his eyes, her eyes flutter closed as she let go of a deep breath. "Well then, are you sure you should be so relaxed on the middle of a plane? Someone might _take advantage of you_." he teased her, one hand sneaking up under her shirt to graze over her navel, inching upwards to cup the swell of her chest, while the other hand dipped beneath the waistline of her skirt, seductively stroking the inside of her thigh with a tenderness that made her face contort in a risqué, barely suppressed moan.

"N-Naruto, we're o-on a pla-ane." he felt her words protest against his ear, no doubt finding her vowels stretched out and interrupted by his exploits.

"Don't tell me you've never fantasized about sex on a plane." he smirked, turning his head until it was his lips which brushed the shell of her ear, lowering his voice in a breezy whisper that he knew would drive her insane with her aroused shudders, to say, "Some might even say its, _exhilirating_."

He caught the tip of her ear between his teeth, biting lightly, while his hand inched ever closer to the hem of her underwear, finding the temptation to have her come undone in his hands all too inviting.

"...wait 'til it's on my _private_ plane." He heard her say, before her hands found purchase on the sleeves of his shirt, her body reluctant to tug them away but her mind in control of her actions. He allowed her to pull away from him, though not leave the seat she'd made of his lap, his eyes sweeping over her person to note, with approval, that his actions had not entirely unfazed her, leaving a flush on her cheeks and her breath racing.

"I'd rather not wait at all, though I suppose we'll find plenty of other _things_ to do tonight." He kept his voice purposefully low, and quiet, not missing the way her cheeks never lost their colour, nor the way the longing in her eyes only seemed to further cloud them.

The coy tilt of her head precluding her response had hardly finished forming on her face when they were interrupted by the sharp knock on the door to their on flight suite.

Naruto watched as her features took a hundred and eighty degree turnaround, schooling her expression into a professional mask of grace and ambivalence, shifting to the seat opposite him leaving him missing the weight of her perched on his knee, as she called out for their visitor to enter. The door slid open, revealing a seemingly intimidated mousy haired air hostess, tailed by the distinct copper blonde head of hair belonging to the weekend's director who's name evaded his memory at first glance.

"We're ready to leave the plane, Miss Hyuga. Your luggage has already been arranged for and taken to your escort, i-is there anything further we can help you with ma'am?" the hostess spoke, her voice quiet, almost embarrassed by the way Hinata's attention seemed wholly fixated on her from the moment she started speaking.

With a dazzling smile and a slight shake of the head, Hinata responded with a thank you, dismissing the air hostess and leaving her seat to stand up, bag in hand as the other woman walked out of their suite.

Naruto felt their eyes meet for a moment, as she glanced in his direction, her face unreadable but her eyes filled with what almost seemed like amused exasperation as though to comment on the air hostess' attitude.

"Deidara?" Her question, directed at the blonde man still leaning nonchallantly on the frame of the door, quickly served to remind Naruto of the director's name, but doing nothing to dissuade his curiosity as to his presence.

"We couldn't keep the photo shoot as under wraps as we'd have hoped, yeah, the press is outside." he said, with a wry smile, barely concealing his annoyance at the fact.

"I know." Her response was simple and unfazed, though her eyes looked tired, as though it were a situation she'd been faced with many times before but was in no way a pleasing experience.

"Sasuke's gone down with Sasori already, it's your turn. We're not saying anything on the shoot yet though. Not until the end-of-season reveal." He finished by referring to what Hinata had earlier explained to be the show Ino'd been preparing for before her accident; the one which both Sasuke and Hinata endorsed Ino's newest designers, Sasori and Deidara, to see completed.

Nodding, she looked to Naruto, mouthing 'see you soon' before walking round the corner, Deidara moving to make way for her, before staying a minute longer to look back at him.

He'd found himself, somewhat confused by her unspoken words, instinctively getting up to follow her, assuming she'd gone to deal with the implications of having the press around beforehand (as he'd often seen Sasuke do). A light hand on his shoulder as he moved to leave the room stalled him in his tracks, as the director looked at him with almost sympathetic eyes as he spoke, "Hey bud, it's probably better to hang back a while till she's done with the paparazzi, yeah. We'll meet her inside the airport- they won't follow her in."

Still feeling mildly confused, though feeling somewhat as though he'd taken a blow to the stomach with what he'd taken to be the meaning behind those words, Naruto forced a laugh as he joked, "What, too embarrassed to be seen in public with me?"

The other blonde's sheepish grimace at his choice of wording met his question in her defence, "Don't take it like that, yeah, trust me you don't want them tearing you apart for sleepin' with her just yet,"

Of course, he should have known. It was different with Sasuke, considering he was certainly not _sexually_ involved or interested in the Uchiha. But the press' interest in all things relationship related in the world of celebrities was certainly comparable to that of teenage locker room gossip. Hinata wouldn't want to come under scrutiny publicly in yet another attack on her character just yet.

Still a part of him felt like he'd been sucker punched with the realisation. Much as they connected behind closed doors, given her line of work there was still a world of difference between where she stood compared to him.

* * *

"Sorry about that back there in the plane, I hope you didn't mind..." Hinata walked slowly, not less than an arm's length away from the taller blonde as she looked up at him, almost worriedly. She'd spent the entirety of the short walk down the stairs off the plane to her escort to the airport's interior fretting internally over if she'd come across as too curt, or rude, or dismissive of Naruto once the air hostess and Deidara had walked in.

Or even, if she'd come across as too rude to the people she interacted with in front of him.

Or disinterested in him, given the way she'd been so nonchalant about doing her makeup and fixing her hair in front of him in their suite. It was a silly worry to have, she supposed in retrospect, given he'd seen her in far more disarray, and she was hardly one to care about being camera-ready in front of someone she trusted as much as Naruto.

But at the same time, she didn't want to seem vain to him in any way- or seem like someone she was not, the personality which her manager insisted she present to the public. She wanted him to see _her_ for who she was, and if he were to love anyone, to love the person she was when she was true to herself, be it in the intimate moments between her and the lens of her modeling camera, or behind closed doors with the man she'd made her obsession.

"Me? Mind? Nahh... What do I have to mind when I'm walking with you out of the airport?" He dismissed her worries with ease, although some part of her mind sensed that there was more to his response than the way he shrugged off her question. Yet, he truly was a gifted actor, seeing as nothing in his physical apparance implied that he was anything but truthful in his response. She felt her cheeks heat up in what must have been a light blush given the... _seductive_ way his voice bore into her as he posed his final question.

"Well, I figured you'd rather not have _this_ put on display for the whole world to tear apart _just yet_." she retaliated, leaning into him with a purposefully alluring sway as she emphasized 'this' in referring to their relation.

She felt an arm snake around her waist to pull her into him as he rumbled quietly into her hair, "No, I think I quite enjoy having you _all to myself_ just now."

Pathetically, incessantly, in a way that made her groan at her own childishness, she felt her heart speed up at his words, blood rushing to her cheeks as memories of the last time they were truly alone in each others' company made their way to the front of her mind, threatening to weaken her at the knees with giddy contentment.

He made her feel like an adolescent schoolgirl at times, with the way her heart started thumping every time he looked at her with those intense, cerulean eyes, fixated on her as though he'd never want to look at anything else, helpless even in her attempts to seduce him just as much as he constantly seemed to unconsciously do so with her.

Spotting out of the corner of her eyes the arrivals lounge where she knew her cousin would be waiting to get her (having insisted on seeing her home in this instance), she slowed to a halt, leaning leisurely in to place a gentle peck on the side of his cheek, letting her nose brush against the soft tanned skin there, before allowing it to trace a gentle line down the side of his face, stopping to place a more lasting kiss at the point where his collarbone met his neck. She felt him shiver against her at the contact, relishing in the power it seemed to give her over him, however momentary. He'd come to a halt entirely, his free hand cupping her neck, pulling her face away from her neck until their lips were close enough to feel each other's breaths.

She waited, almost too eagerly, for him to close the distance between them, growing near restless at the way he seemed to be teasing her into making the next move. The small flame of burning desire which had never quite been fully extinguished from the moment she first laid eyes on him, and only seemed all the more impatient since their time together in his cabin, stoked to life with roaring impatience as she laced her fingers through his hair, tugging with an urgency which reflected her impatience, tempting him into closing the distance between them to kiss her the way she'd seen him longing to do since she'd glossed her lips on the plane- full of hunger, passion, and no hesitation; not anymore.

Reeling from the contact, her hands tugging, grasping for more as her tongue slipped between his parted lips, she felt more than saw a looming presence approach them, clearing their voice almost awkwardly as they abruptly pulled away to each other, turning to look at the intruding presence.

Naruto's cheeks clearly colouring as though a deer caught in the headlights, his lips set in an annoyed scowl, he addressed the Uchiha who had approached them, "Man, Sasuke, a little privacy would be nice don't you think?!"

"Do you want a ride home or not?" Sasuke responded, rolling his eyes, clearly not impressed.

Hinata watched as the boys exchanged a few more near hostile words, noting with amusement the way their hostility seemed superficial at best, almost like their own way of exchanging affection rather than leading to any aggression between the two.

Hearing herself being dragged into the conversation with a question of where she was going from the airport, she joined in, saying, "Neji's picking me up, I'll find him on my own really you don't need to walk me out. I'll see you later then?"

"Well why not I see you out? I've not met Neji yet, have I? Wouldn't it only seem polite?"

"As though you've ever been concerned about politeness." Sasuke snidely quipped following his words, eliciting another vexed glare from the blonde in question.

"There's really no need, it's not like you need to go out of your way..." Hinata protested, half unwilling to have her overly protective cousin put into contact with Naruto just yet, more predominantly unwilling to cause any added trouble to Naruto.

"No, really, I want to meet him." he insisted, his tone genuine and his gaze cast to the arrivals lounge, almost as though looking for any trace of the Hyuga before they entered said lounge, before turning to Sasuke to say, "You can go ahead with Sakura, if you want. I'll make my own way back."

Rolling his eyes and muttering something that sounded suspiciously like 'idiot' under his breath, Sasuke's resigned response was, "We'll wait for you.", before he walked back towards where a flash of pink hair and jade eyes stood waiting for him around the corner.

"I-it's really no bother." Hinata said, inspite of the way her heart squeezed with a hint of what felt like excitement spreading through her warmly as she started walking towards the doorway into the arrivals lounge, finding his fingers laced among hers as he had her lead the way.

"Hey, Sasuke and Sakura are as good as family to me, if you're getting to know them I want to know yours too." He spoke, his grip on her hand firm as she felt her fingers grip on harder to his subconsciously, relishing in the contact.

* * *

Neji reminded Naruto of a finely bred horse; refined and sophisticated, who's skills seemed, even in the most unlikely scenarios, alert and honed like the sharp edge of a blade. He was an intelligent man with a frighteningly perceptive mind, one which Naruto found himself likening much to Hinata's as they interacted.

That wasn't to say he was in any way unfriendly or frigid to the blonde. In fact, while Naruto had felt all but intimidated by the man who seemed to personify his polar opposite and meant so much to the woman he'd come to adore, the Hyuga's smile was warm and welcoming, his words curious without being nosy, his disapproval nonexistent, and his affection towards his silvery eyed cousin evident in every aspect of his character.

Yet something about the man's equally silvery eyes seemed a tad guarded, as though on high alert, in a way that served to unsettle Naruto as he watched them drive away. Something which he almost instantly ignored and dismissed, but left him jittery as he waved them off, jumping at the unexpected touch of an unfamiliar hand on his shoulder.

"It doesn't feel nice, does it. To be so far apart from the world she walks in?"

A head of stark white, bushy hair entered his field of vision as he jerked around, finding himself brought face to face with the graciously aged long forgotten face of a man he'd not seen in so long it could have been a different lifetime.

"Jiraya." He spoke in acknowledgement, name still on the tip of his tongue in spite of all the years that had passed, a frown marring his face as he struggled to see the meaning behind the old man's words considering he should have no knowledge of their relationship at all in the first place.

Though he should have expected no less from the old man.

"Long time no see, brat. You've grown." His condescending chuckle grated on his nerves no less than it had done back when Naruto remembered knowing the old scriptwriter.

"And you're old. Weren't you supposed to be out in Amsterdam? Red light whores and cannabis coffee shops got too boring for you?" he quipped, knowing he was used to getting away with murder as far as his insults and taunts went.

"Figured it was about time this dull dying industry had someone to show them what real screenplay looks like. I'm back on scene." He said, his words as slow and lethargic as his eyes as Naruto felt him put under their scrutiny.

"Her brother's indispensable to the city's financial district, her time is hounded by the press begging to learn about her every flaw and fallacy, and her life is surrounded by high celebrities who will give her worth only as long as she can hold it under an iron grip; the closest you've ever got to that is your knowing Sasuke, and once Sakura, you know that's not the same- you abhor the very notion of riding on their fame. What right do you have to walk by her side?"

Naruto turned to face the old man fully, his eyes hard and invariably guarded as he scowled at the old man's words, offering only silence in response. Scowled less because of the one saying them, than because they only served to voice, in the worst way possible, the thoughts that he'd been trying fruitlessly to push to the back of his mind since they left the plane.

"What do you possibly have to offer her as you are now?" he pressed, and Naruto found himself hating the shrewd tilt upwards of his lips as he knew his anger was playing exactly into whatever game the old man was trying to weave.

"What do you want, Jiraya?" He spoke, trying to keep the angered growl out of his voice, yet failing in keeping out entirely it's irate edge.

"Well it's not like you don't have the talent for it." the old man paused, to shake his head lethargically, before seeing the pointed glare Naruto sent him, taking his own sweet time to come to his point with, "My friend Orochimaru said you rejected his offer to make you a star."

"I rejected his offer to make me a hustler." His words were clipped, finding the urge to leave there and then to look for Sasuke ever more pressing as soon as he heard Orochimaru's name mentioned.

"But you misunderstand."

In response to Naruto's cynically raised eyebrow, the other man continued, "Listen kid, I'm working on a new project and its going to be big. Not just a 'one-time blockbuster' hit. Think big. 'James Bond'-big."

Jiraya's passion betrayed him as the slow deliberative tone was replaced by an animated excitement. "Orochimaru's an old friend, he'll sponsor. It's under his studio. But it's all legal. All for the big screen. No- 'hustlers', was that how you put it? And he's not the only sponsor, there's a lot of interest around when this ol' frog finally decides to enter the industry again. And I don't want any old actor."

Naruto felt the grip of an enthusiastic hand on his shoulder as the older man shook him with eager restlessness. "I want you, kid. You're not that well known- but you're the best actor for the roll. It will lift it to an entirely new level, give the gig a new face. Think about it."

Naruto's intrigued expression didn't fall from his face even as he watched the old man seem to reign in control of himself again, taking a step back and stretching as he reverted to the lazy indifference with which he had interacted with the blonde earlier, nor did his undeniable curiousity wane as he watched the white haired man heave a heavy sigh, slowly turning to walk away, calling, "You know where to find me," over his shoulder as he made his exit.

Naruto stood rooted to the spot, his mind spinning with all the possible ways the old man could be trying to play him, or all the possible ways it would undeniably be a bad idea.

Yet the small sprout of excitement in his chest at the prospect presented didn't fall even as Sasuke's car found its way to park directly in front of him, the window opening enough to allow Sakura's melodic voice to goad him into entering the car.

* * *

Grey, drab walls enshrouded the small, confining walls of the cubicle he waited in, slit-like yellowy eyes trained expectantly at the one glass wall in the room, and the soon to be filled empty chair beyond it.

The visitors' rooms for the local jail were in no way intended to be a welcoming place for any convict's visitors. Nor were they meant to strike terror in the hearts of those awaiting trial, brought there to meet people free to walk away from the four walls of their captivity like they themselves could not.

They were plain and dull, meant to be unremarkable and depressing. But Orochimaru wasn't.

And he knew that the inmate he intended to see, when they walked through the doors into the visiting room, would feel more than intimidated by his presence alone; his presence would fill any _dull_ grey walls with the utmost calculated malice and fear.

Although, when the redhead he sought was brought into the room, the first thing his serpentile eyes noticed as they flickered over her person, was how pale and gaunt she had become.

Her lawyer had defended her well in her bail hearing, though the jury had set the bail too high for her to possibly afford, leaving her confined to the four walls of the jailhouse. He'd also been informed, her trial was still well over a month away.

In the short weeks she'd been captive, she'd lost all of the warmth to her flesh, washed out and faded, as though incapable of any strong emotion. Her once wild and brazen fiery hair hung limp and tangled around her near hollow face.

A flash of cold, indifferent pity came upon him as he watched yet another person he'd once made his pawn slip into the seat in front of him, the door to their room closing to give them the illusion of privacy.

"What do you want, snake?" she all but snarled the minute she looked up at him, though her wide eyes and the shake of her shoulders told him she was just as intimidated by him as she had been all those years ago when he'd first had her brought to him as little more than a child.

"You forget me in your success; will you only remember me now that you are in need of help?" he asked, the injured tone to his voice as superficial as the notion that he expected her to still care.

"I cut ties." she said, her words biting with unbridled frustration, crimson eyes avid like that of a cornered wildcat.

"Captivity doesn't suit you, Karin." he mused, reaching his hand out towards the glass which separated them, almost as though to touch her. If there had been no barriers between them he would no doubt be holding a strand of her straggly red hair between his fingers now. "You're washed out."

"And why do you care?" her eyes were hard with indignation, unwilling to lower herself to pleading with him irrespective of her situation. It was, afterall, how he had raised her to be. To bow down to none.

"Multiple homicide, my my, you've really outdone yourself." he commented, recalling the names listed under the victims attributed to her attacks. A large part of him doubted she'd have the stomach to do it, but he had to be sure. Something intrigued him about the entire matter; something akin to a challenge.

"I killed noone." her voice was sharp and distinct, the anger replaced with steely resolve as she defended what remained of her honour.

"Then who did?" he asked. He'd always told her to know when and how to ask the right questions, he expected her to know how to answer them just as well.

She glowered at him, as though unwilling to answer, but he held her glare and returned it with one of equal ferocity. Eventually, she cracked. "A-at first I thought it might be Naruto. But the blonde's too smart to do that. Someone close to him, who cares for him. That Haruno bitch was always sneaky... she must have done it, killed my Sui- or someone else close to that blonde brat."

An eyebrow raised, intrigued, he rested his head against his knuckles as he leaned back in the chair. It wouldn't do to press her any further on the matter though- it seemed as though she knew little more than he did, and they were hardly in the right place to speculate any further on the matter. "Why haven't you paid the bail yet?" He knew the answer, but also knew that posing the question would do well to remind her of her helpless position.

"It- it's too high. We can't pay it." Her voice had lost its edge entirely at the admittance.

He was far above anything as petty as emotions, yet he always did have a soft spot for his charges. Plus, she would be useful to him now. "Let me. Come back to the studio with me."

She seemed to take his offer as a stab at her pride. "I refuse to be another one of your girls." she all but growled, her voice aghast at even the thought.

"I have far more respect for your career as a writer to have you do so just yet... you've not warranted that sort of humiliation." he sounded almost bored, though his eyes betrayed his amusement at her reaction. "Jiraya is working on a new project. You can help him out with the writing. It'll give you something to do."

Her expression was still guarded as she looked at him through the glass, but it was weary. Tired, and desperate to leave whatever hell her mind had dug for itself in her isolation. And though he knew she didn't trust him, she'd always regarded his studio as a safe haven when she had nowhere to run to. This time would be no different.

Hours later, the bail papers were signed and she drove home with him.

* * *

 **Been a while, huh? A nice long chapter to make up for it.**

 **Review please**

 **˜Raven**


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